A disappointing walk in the parks

 

17 August 2016

We’d purposely saved our zebra hunting in the parks for a sunny day and today had more than enough sun. In fact there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There were six zebras to find, or there should have been. We already knew Skittles, near the bandstand in Palmerston Park, was likely to be absent. He was stolen on the same night as Ticket to Ride, ripped from his plinth. Unlike the poor First Bus zebra he was found, damaged and dumped in some bushes in Hoglands Park. Why anyone should want to damage these lovely beasts and spoil everyone’s fun is beyond me.

After a slow, hot walk across the bridge into town we found an empty  plinth beside the bandstand, just as we thought we would. The bandstand is a relatively new addition to the park. It was built in 1999 a long overdue replacement for the original cast iron bandstand of 1885, removed in 1940 after bomb damage during the Southampton blitz. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find any pictures of the original.

Still, we had five more zebras to find and the sun was still shining. Filled with optimism we crossed the road to Andrew’s Park. The sight of the cafe had us thinking of coffee so we decided on a quick pit stop before we got on with the business of zebra hunting. It felt very cosmopolitan to be sitting outside at a table in the sun with our short squat French style mugs.

We lingered a little over our coffee, enjoying watching the world go by. It felt like that kind of day and we figured the zebras weren’t going anywhere and would wait for us. A look at the app told me the first zebra was somewhere near the crossroads with the path through the wisteria arch. We left the cafe and, as we passed the mini golf course, we saw an empty plinth ahead.

Solent University’s zebra, Sam, should have been standing here but he wasn’t. There was no sign to say why he wasn’t there as there had been with the other missing zebras.
“Either he’s been stolen, vandalised or gone off for a little walk,” CJ said as we stood looking at the empty plinth in dismay. This did not bode well for the rest of our walk.

We carried on, past the dead tree where the ceramic bike of the Roam Arts Trail was once displayed. That was removed or stolen before I saw it too. A mother and daughter came towards us clutching a Zany Zebra trail map.
“We should have told them the next two zebras are missing,” CJ said after they’d passed.
“The little girl looked so excited I didn’t want to be the one to break the bad news,” I said. “Besides, they might have been looking at us and thinking the same thing. For all we know there might not be any zebras left in the parks.”

On the way past the mosaic garden we had a quick look over the hedge, just in case there was a zebra hiding there. There was once a water feature on this spot but, in 2000, the mosaic garden was built for the millennium. Caroline Ishgar’s fishpond design is delightful and the benches, inset with waves of mosaic always put me in mind of Barcelona and Gaudi.  Back in 2013 Beauty and the Beast, a beautiful floral rhino, stood here. Today it was just the mosaic and the benches, surrounded by summer flowers.

Of course I hadn’t really expected to see a zebra in the mosaic garden. The app told me the next one was just beyond Richard Andrews’ statue, close to the Queen’s Peace Fountain. Andrews owned a successful coach building business in the town and was town mayor five times in the 1800’s. The statue was erected in his memory in 1861, two years after his death.

As we walked around the statue we were met with further disappointment. The plinth that should have held Zebraversity, the zebra sponsored by University of Southampton, was empty. This one did at least have a note telling us he’d been damaged and was at ‘the vet’ being repaired.

By rights there should have been one more zebra in this park but neither of us felt all that confident about seeing him. We walked slowly around the circular path surrounding Andrews’ statue, steeling ourselves for yet more disappointment. When the road came into view I thought I saw a flash of orange. Pessimism told me it was probably flowers or maybe someone’s coat. It didn’t feel  like our day for seeing zebras.

The closer we got the more obvious it was that there was at least one zebra still left in the parks. The flash of red turned out to be Zycling Zebra, sponsored by Garmin and painted by Susan Webber. With his cycling gear, he was a reminder of the Skyride a while back. I loved all the different bikes on his rump and the cyclists going round and round his ears.

Feeling slightly buoyed up by finding one intact zebra, we crossed the road to the cenotaph. As always, there was a short pause in front of the monument to think of the men and women it represented. On the far side, under the shade of the tall chestnut trees, I was gratified to see a row of poppy wreaths proving we are not the only ones who stop in remembrance.

Watt’s Park should have had two zebras in it, three if you count Zebby Road on the corner but we’d already seen him. According to the app the first should have been somewhere near Watts’ statue. At first glance all we could see was the circular flower bed surrounding the statue of this famous Sotonian. Most people think hymns when Isaac Watts is mentioned, especially here where his hymn Our God Our Help in Ages Past is played by the bells of the Civic Centre clock three times a day. In fact he was also an author, philosopher and educator, whose book Logic was used at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale.

Until we rounded the bend we had no idea if we would find a zebra or another empty plinth. It was a real relief to find the former. The zebra was Allegra, sponsored by Manor Farm Country Park and beautifully painted by Sian Storey. Her inspiration was the African Savannah where the Grevy’s zebras live. I loved the tangle of fantastical flowers and foliage climbing up his body so much I almost missed the cheetah snoozing amongst them.

The final park zebra was meant to be near the Enclosure sculpture and, as soon as we set off again, it was fairly obvious it wasn’t there. With just two zebras out of a possible six this was turning out to be our least successful zebra hunt ever. We walked towards the sculpture discussing what we’d like to do to the people who damaged and stole the sculptures if we ever caught up with them. CJ was especially inventive. It’s a good job neither of us are in charge of doling out punishment for real.

The sculpture, created by Paul De Monchaux and installed in 2000 when the parks were refurbished, was controversial from the outset. It seems to be a bit of a Marmite artwork, people either love it or hate it. Personally I love it. The cubic frame, made from Portland Roach stone appeals to me on many levels. At first glance it seems very angular and smooth but, when you look closely, the stone is filled with fossils, the imprints of ancient shells and sea creatures.

The real joy though comes with the views through each of the frames it creates. The idea is to walk around it and look through, turning the buildings and the park into pictures in a frame. From the far side the view is of Isaac Watts Statue and, in winter with no leaves in the trees, the cenotaph beyond.

From the north side the view is of the Civic Centre clock tower.

Looking from the east is a view of the old church, St Peter’s,  on Commercial Road, although you have to know it’s there to spot it through the trees.

The final view is towards Cumberland Place, offices and buildings hidden by trees at this time of year.

This morning we’d set out full of hope and anticipation, with a plan to tick the park zebras off our list. Things hadn’t quite gone to plan but, in the end, any day with a walk in the parks in it is a good one to my mind.

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