OUIL505 - Headingley Bear Pit

The bear pit located on Cardigan Road, Leeds is one of very few left standing in the UK. Originally being part of the 'Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens' it was made for members of the public to view bears in captivity. It's an impressive structure with two turrets and a spiral staircase from which to get a good look at the bears. I saw this as an opportunity to size - making use of it as a tourist attraction.

This bear pit in particular housed two bears at a time up until around the 1850s when it was closed due to loss of the publics interest, one newspaper article from 1839 complaining of the "filth and "stench" of the bears.

My real interest in this account is the escape of one of the bears. "It jumped and pulled itself over the ledge, going on to kill a boy of ten and badly injuring another before being shot dead." This dramatic record deserves more attention and I think would make an interesting and unconventional attraction. Selling part of Leeds's uncelebrated gruesome history in the form of my artwork is an idea that really excites me.