New seal sculpture installed in East Beach car park, Selsey

The sculpture expands on the successful Selsey Seal Art Trail installed in 2021, and acts as a wayfinding map for visitors and residents to navigate into and around the town from East Beach.

This additional sculpture was proposed by Selsey Town Council as a way to create better navigation between East Beach and the town centre in a way that is visually distinctive.

Selsey Town Council has led the project, and funding was provided from Chichester District Council's Visions project budget. Developing Visions aim to help towns in the district reflect the issues and aspirations of a town and its communities, making them a reality through projects that they would like to see carried out.

Average walking and cycling times between points along the routes are displayed on the sculpture, allowing people to gauge how long their journeys will take as well as providing a creative point of reference for directions.

The sculpture also forms part of Selsey Town Council's work to bring more people to the town and provide equipment and facilities that are open to all. The artistic representation of the seal also honours Selsey's cultural heritage.

East Beach car park was chosen as it provides an ideal location for routes into the town centre and is close to the existing sculpture art trail.

The fibreglass sculpture was made by Colin Farren from Jago Developments who are based locally in Runcton. Colin and Jago Developments also created the sculptures for the Selsey Seal Art Trail.

"We are very pleased to see this latest sculpture installed at East Beach car park," says Councillor Harsha Desai, Cabinet Member for Growth and Place at Chichester District Council. "Developing Visions help to realise communities' aspirations for their town with projects that they want to see implemented. 

"The sculpture celebrates the heritage of Selsey and its historic association with seals, while serving a function that is accessible by everyone, and in a way that is creative and captivating."

Robin Davison, Town Clerk at Selsey Town Council, adds "This new seal sculpture is a welcome addition alongside the art trail sculptures that we installed in 2021. We had been considering different options to help improve accessibility and navigation into the town centre, and this sculpture meets many of our objectives in an artistic way that celebrates our town's heritage."

Additional wayfinding signage to complement the sculpture will be provided by Selsey Town Council over the next few months.

People can find out more about the Visions projects on our City and Town Visions webpage.

Date of Release: 5 July 2023                   

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