Swooping in on The Big Hoot Sculpture Trail in Ipswich

The Big Hoot is the third sculpture trail that Ipswich has hosted to help raise money for local charity St Elizabeth Hospice. Following the huge success of Pigs Gone Wild in 2016 and Elmer’s Big Parade in 2019, The Big Hoot sculpture trail has gone even bigger, with 50 large owls taking up perch around the town from the 19^th June 2022. They will stay roosting until 3^rd September 2022, so there’s plenty of time to go owl spotting.

What is The Big Hoot Sculpture Trail All About?

Like all other sculpture trails of its kind, many of which are the creation of public arts events company Wild in Art, the Big Hoot owls have been designed by local and national artists and sponsored by local businesses as a means of attracting visitors to the area and boosting the local economy. At the end of the trail, the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise vital funds for St Elizabeth Hospice.

In addition to the 50 big owls, there are 65 small ones that have been painted by local schools and community groups. Many of these can be seen in small parliaments in indoor locations, but also keep an eye on shop windows as you walk around Ipswich as you’ll often see a single pair of beady eyes watching you through the glass. At the end of the trail, the mini hoots are returned to their group creators.

As its 2022, there is of course an app you can download which will guide you to all the owl locations. Enter the 4-digit code from the owl perches to unlock rewards from each owl. These are usually something on offer from the sponsor of that sculpture.

You can also pick up physical trail maps from Ipswich town hall which is temporarily operating as Owl HQ. There’s lots of Big Hoot merchandise on sale here! Many other places including the St Elizabeth Hospice shops have maps and merch available too.

Can You Get Around The Big Hoot Sculpture Trail in a Day?

The short answer is YES! I can personally vouch for this as I somehow managed to see all 50 large owls in a single day. My feet were complaining by the end of the day mind you, but I did it! I clocked up 23k steps and approx. 7.5 miles, though don’t worry – you won’t need to walk quite that far! My total included walking to and from my accommodation and a fair bit of additional wandering in the town to meet friends and find refreshment spots.

You may struggle to fit in all the little owls too however, especially as some are in indoor locations that are subject to opening hours but not by a window. If you only have a day, you will need to plan your route carefully, so you can catch these during set times.

For me, I wasn’t trying to see all the little uns, however I still happened to stumble across and unlock 22 mini hoots.

Accessibility of the Large Owls

There are seven of the large owls that are located in places with opening time restrictions. Only two of these are indoors – Nocturne which is situated in Owl HQ at Ipswich Town Hall, and Discowl which is in the Buttermarket Shopping Centre. Opening hours for the Town Hall are 10-4pm every day for the duration of the trail, which ends on 3rd September.

There is one further owl in the window of the St Elizabeth Hospice shop on Dogs Head Street but this isn’t affected by their opening hours as the best place to see him is from outside the window. Of course, to see the design on his wings you would need to visit during the shop’s opening.

The other five owls are located in two of Ipswich’s parks. Three are in Christchurch Park and two are in Holywells Park. The parks are open from 7am until 9.15pm.

The Owls

Town Centre Owls

A great place to start the Big Hoot sculpture trail is in the town centre by the Town Hall, where you can pick up a paper map and any merchandise you may like as well as making sure you see Nocturne while the Town Hall is open.

There is no one best way to find all the owls in the town centre. Just start wandering following the app or map and see what you come across. This is what I love most about these kind of sculpture trails – how many different things you discover that you wouldn’t have seen without the trail.

I came to follow Elmer’s Big Parade in Ipswich three years ago, and while I recognised many of the locations such as the Giles Circus Statue where Night Owl and Crystal can be found, there were also plenty of new roosting spots such as The New Wolsey Theatre where you can find Cool Hand Hoot.

Must see Owls & Locations in the Town

Immediately outside the Town Hall is Alakazam which features a stunning design celebrating the worlds of fantasy and magic.

I just want to point out at this point that you should always walk round the back of the sculptures as most of the times there are different designs and quirky details to see on their backs and wings. You’d miss the adorable little frog and the owl hiding under the wizard’s hat if you didn’t walk right the way around Alakazam.

In the Buttermarket Shopping Centre there is a dazzling owl decorated in mirror mosaic tiles. The artistry is phenomenal so this big hoot is a must-see! You’ll struggle to tear your eyes off him.

Make sure you walk down Queen Street & St Nicholas Street from Giles Circus to St Peter’s Street as you’ll spot the Thomas Wolsey Statue by Hawaii-Five-Owl as well as lots of beautiful architecture, something Ipswich is known for.

I love the half-timbered houses on the corner of St Peter’s Street and Silent Street.

You’ll also see one of my favourite Little Hoots in the window of Music World along the way.

It is worth walking out to Love is Owl You Need as his location in front of the International Church is one of the best roosts in town!

Gotta love the fruit-tastic design of Frutti Hooti who you will no doubt pass en-route to the church.

Dancing in the Moonlight also has an enviable position in front of another attractive Ipswich church, that of Christ Church, at the meeting of Tackett Street with Cox Lane.

A wander up to the Ipswich Museum will be well rewarded by Golden Repair, an owl with Kintsugi plumage. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, a technique often used as a metaphor. As the artist states on the owl’s plaque: “Everyone develops scars throughout their lifetime, but they should not be hidden. Those imperfections can be a transition into something even more beautiful.” And beautiful is what this owl is! There are so many gorgeous sections of pottery design on Golden Repair. Amongst the delightful floral motifs and patterns, there is also a Japanese garden scene, a dragon and an octopus.

Stop by Crown Pools on the way back from the museum to see my favourite owl eyes on the trail; those belonging to Wild One. There is something particularly mesmerising about these eyes, hypnotic even! It’s got to be because you find your own eyes moving round in circles following the journey of the trees, then side to side to see the mirrored effect between them.

Owls En Route to the Station

I actually started my experience of The Big Hoot sculpture trail at the station as it was on my walking route into Ipswich along the river Orwell – a lovely wander to start the day!

Outside the station and the first owl anybody arriving in Ipswich by train will see, is Happy Snappy Owl – a fab design that will appeal to lovers of travel and photography alike! In the various lenses (both camera and eyes) you’ll see scenes of Ipswich, and I love the scene of idyllic train travel depicted on the back of the owl’s head. So reminiscent of the TV screens that sit in the backs of aeroplane seats.

En route out from or in to the town centre depending on which way you are walking are three wonderfully patterned owls, all deserving of a mention…

Frida K’Owl’o celebrates the bold and beautiful patterns present in the famous artist’s work as well as stylising her appearance as Frida was known to, from her flower decorated black hair bun to her signature eyebrows.

A little further down the road, Hoot-an-Khamun celebrates the centenary of the discovery of Egyptian King Tutankhamun’s tomb with a vibrant gold, blue and red pattern so familiar to us from historical records.

Periwinkle can be found outside Ipswich’s Cineworld, decorated in wildflowers that can be found locally. It does not surprise me to learn that Periwinkle’s stunning floral pattern is the creation of a surface pattern and printed textile designer.

Ipswich Marina Owls

There are seven large Big Hoot sculpture trail owls situated around Ipswich Marina, plus another two nearby. I love the marina area – there’s something about the faint clanging and whistling of the breeze through the masts that I find really relaxing.

Kaleidoscope is one of my faves from the marina. The way the artist manages to paint the perfect lines around the curved sculpture amazes me. Their eyes must have gone squiffy!

Opposite Kaleidoscope is shipshape sailor owl Ahoy. Festooned in bright yellow uniform and complete with eye patch, anchors, lifebuoy, compass and several stow away marine creatures, Ahoy is a joyous celebration of Ipswich’s maritime history.

Further round the marina is Owl Hands On Deck who I love as he’s all about travel; cruising specifically, so a hoot after my own heart! With paintings of landscapes from around the world, this smart captain is about to set sail and spread his wings around the globe. Just check out the awesome map on his back: the world is his oyster.

Close to the Marina is The Hold, home of Suffolk Archives and a temporary roost for Owl Tell You A Story, one of my favourite owls of the whole trail. His design embraces the joy of fairy-tales and storytelling, with ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ taking centre stage of course.

There are so many great fairy-tales referenced on the book spines, as well as lots of amusing owl puns hidden amongst well known titles and some just works of pure fiction! “Suffolk Archives collects, preserves and shares the diverse history of Suffolk, covering 900 years of stories in 9 million pages;” a most deserving perch for such a well-read owl.

The Hold is also home to a parliament of mini hoots inside and it’s worth a visit to see the exhibitions and work on display too. I also stopped here for a brew in their café and made use of the comfy arm chairs for a short rest too, before setting off to Holywells Park.

Enjoying the owls? Fancy another sculpture adventure… Then ‘Follow That Duck’ to Hastings where at the same time 30 oversized duck sculptures have taken over the towns of Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill.

Holywells Park Owls

From the Marina owl that is positioned the furthest from town, it’s not actually far to walk across to the Myrtle Road entrance of Holywells Park, where you cannot miss Owly Rate with his high-vis vest guarding the entrance. The mouse in his pocket is so cute and according to several people I’ve talked to since visiting, the mouse is a huge hit with the younger children on the trail.

Although I have visited Holywells Park briefly to see an Elmer back in 2019, I arrived via car to the main entrance off Cliff Lane where the Elmer was and just popped in, so I didn’t see any of the park at all. Well, that has now gladly been rectified and wow, what a lovely space. I got chatting to so many dog owners and helped a couple get their pooches to pose by Big Hoot Little Hoots.

The area by the old mansion is a lovely spot to sit and relax, which I did for about 10 minutes. The architecture of the old stables and orangery is so quaint.

Christchurch Park Owls

It is a bit of a hoof across to Christchurch Park from Holywells. Leaving Holywells by the Bishop’s Hill entrance, it’s a straight downhill walk back into town and I picked up the last couple of town centre owls I hadn’t yet seen on the way: Snowy White opposite The Hope Church and The Owl and the Pussycat on St Margaret’s Street.

Once in Christchurch Park by the mansion entrance, the first owl is immediately visible with the mansion in the background.

The other two are much further up into the park and can be reached by the path leading past the mansion and off up the hill. I wasn’t too keen on this hill right at the end of a long day, so bear that in mind if you’re madly trying to fit them all in in a day! It was worth it to see Skoot’s Owt and Mabel and Friends however.

Here is where I learned of the Christchurch Park owls as Mabel and Friends is situated right next to a wooden sculpture of Mabel herself, the park’s most famous real Tawny Owl. I’m assuming this connection is why an owl was picked as a suitable sculpture shape for Ipswich.

Get in Touch…

So that’s a wrap on The Big Hoot sculpture trail – the artists involved certainly think laterally and imaginatively to create fun and inspiring artworks that educate and induce smiles and laughter.

As always, these kinds of trails do a fab job at getting us out into the fresh air and exercising without realising you’re doing it because there’s a fun goal at the end of it. They teach us about the place we’re visiting and provide a great escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life. I can highly recommend a trip to Ipswich to follow The Big Hoot sculpture trail! I guarantee it’ll be a hoot!

Have you seen any of the Ipswich owls yet? Are you considering a visit? Hit me up with any questions you may have about the trail in the comments below, and I’ll endeavour to answer any queries you have.

If you’ve been out on the trail already, let me know your faves; I’d love to hear from you.

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Further Reading…

If you’re a sculpture nut like me, you may like to check out these previous trails:

Follow those Ducks to Hastings  /  A Dog’s Trail Snoopys in South Wales  /  Derby Rams sculpture trail  /  the Burton Swans  /  Elmers Big Parade in Ipswich  /  Walking With the Snowman sculpture trails  /  Worcester Stands Tall giraffes  /  Let’s Go Quackers ducks in Ironbridge  /  the Hoodwinked robins in Nottingham

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