Mounted on a winged Pegasus, Bellerophon the warrior is the proud insignia worn by British paratroopers ever since World War II. When the call came for a special task this month — moving a mammoth sculpture of that iconic image — blu-3 proudly got into battle mode. They knew this simply had to be a victorious quest!
Partnering with the noblest of allies — Sir Robert McAlpine, Mtec, and British Land — the team set to work with a tight deadline to adhere to.
The resplendent 12-foot bronze cast had been temporarily removed from its home at the Broadgate development in 2021, at the start of the prestigious 1 Broadgate development.
Now, it was time to bring the magnificent sculpture home.
The extraordinary size of the work — 3.3 x 4.6m — meant that a crucial time window had to be chosen for the attempt. A Herculean effort was going to be required if the complex mission stood a chance of success.
As London slept, in the early hours of Saturday morning (9/8/25), a mobile crane was erected in the (notoriously narrow!) Finsbury Avenue.
Newly-installed trees and adjacent buildings had to be carefully navigated to lift the historic piece back into her rightful residence — as the focal point of a pocket park, where people can relax and get some respite from the bustle of the city.
The crane required for the unusual task had to be both nimble and tall — it towered at 35m.
We are happy to report that thanks to expert teamwork and highly-skilled workers, all went perfectly to plan. Bellerophon would have been proud — the whole operation was completed by 11am.
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“The installation of the artwork was a great example of collaboration and endeavour by all those involved,” said Charles Horne from British Land.
The area is a special one for the blu-3 family. 1 Broadgate sits nestled around the corner from both 155 Bishopsgate and 100 Liverpool Street, major prestige developments that the company is proud to have helped create.
