New lights have been installed in the Leviathan, also known as the Barbican Prawn, which sits at the entrance to historic Sutton Harbour in the heart of Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City.
Thanks to a project led by the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and with the support of Sutton Harbour Group plc, the eyes of the Barbican Prawn now once again light up at night following work by SHG’s maintenance contractors Lorne Stewart Plc (Facilities) to repair the electrical connections to the famous statue.
The prawn was first installed over two decades ago, and the lights were repaired by the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership in 2013, but they have not been working for the last eight years.
The prawn’s eyes are now set to a timer and will shine in the evenings and throughout the night, between 7pm and 6am.
Diane Mansell, Waterfront Manager and Chief Executive of Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, said: “We are delighted to see the Leviathan’s eyes light up the harbour again after such a long period of time.
“Plymouth Waterfront Partnership is in the process of improving the environment across the city’s waterfront and led on this initiative to see the Leviathan fully working again because the famous ‘prawn’ has become such an important feature of Plymouth’s waterfront identity”.
The Leviathan was first unveiled in the mid-1990s when Sutton Harbour Group installed the lock gates, and has stood in its spot at the entrance of Sutton Harbour next to the Mayflower Steps Memorial for the last 25 years.
Although it is fondly known as the Barbican Prawn by locals and tourists alike, the sculpture is made up of different parts of a variety of sea creatures, representing local marine life from the past and present.
With the head of an angler fish, the upper body and claws of a lobster and the lower body and fin of a John Dory, the Leviathan was named after a sea monster referenced in the Old Testament of The Bible.
Philip Beinhaker, Executive Chairman of Sutton Harbour Group, said: “We are very pleased to have supported Plymouth Waterfront Partnership in its project to install lights in the Leviathan after eight years and help light up one of the city’s iconic landmarks, restoring it to its former standing at its location adjacent to some of the city’s prime visitor attractions around Sutton Harbour, including the Barbican, the National Marine Aquarium and the Mayflower Steps Memorial.”
