Landmark Walsall 'Hoppy' the Hippo moves into new home

The iconic sculpture has been temporarily moved outside Walsall Central Library to allow for work on the new £1.75 million market.

Known as 'Hoppy', it has been smiling at shoppers from its location on The Bridge since 1972.

But the concrete hippo will now sit in Lichfield Street for the foreseeable future, although the intention is to move back to its old spot in the long-term.

The statue was never officially named but over the years aside from 'Hoppy', it has also been called 'George' after the character on TV show Rainbow.

It has also found its way onto Facebook, with a Walsall Hippo Statue Appreciation page set up.

Over the years, thousands of visitors have posed for pictures with the statue but it was not loved by everyone when it was first unveiled.

Walsall regeneration chief, Councillor Mohammad Nazir, said: "It is just finding a temporary place for the hippo and then we will move it back to a very prominent location.

"It is a symbol now for Walsall for the town centre.

"We have got to find a place and the library is again used well. It will be seen by people visiting the town centre."

Work near The Bridge includes the construction of a new Primark and Co-op for the £21m revamp of Old Square which are both due to be completed this year.

The new-look 70 stall market is also due to get underway with the aim of being ready for next year, with a food zone part of the scheme.

The Sister Dora statue also needs to be slightly re-positioned.

The market has been temporarily based around The Bridge and the Park Street area since 2009, but council bosses had vowed to create a more modern long-term location for the popular facility.

The permanent location will house about 70 stalls in a back-to-back layout so traders face pedestrian routes and adjacent shop fronts.

The stalls will also be demountable so when the market is not operating it can act as a public open space.