Art lovers can combine appreciation with exercise at a new trail of historic and modern sculpture in Birmingham.
The trail has been launched to showcase the University of Birmingham's world-class collection of works of art.
A full-colour leaflet guides the visitor round the Edgbaston campus, linking nine of the University's most important sculptures and offering an informative, illustrated commentary.
The works featured start with Birmingham's oldest piece of public statuary, the Equestrian Statue of George I by John Nost the Elder, which stands out-side the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. The bronze, commissioned in 1771, originally stood on Essex Bridge in Dublin, but was saved from almost certain melt-down by Irish Republicans when it was bought by the Barber in 1937.
The Campus Sculpture Trail also includes the Mermaid Fountain outside the Guild of Students and the neo-classical figures from art, philosophy, science and industry above the Aston Webb building entrance, plus modern works such as Barbara Hepworth's Ancestor I and Eduardo Paolozzi's Faraday, commissioned to celebrate the university's centenary in 2000.
University Collections assistant curator, Clare Mullett, who devised the Campus Sculpture Trail with help from Andrew Davies at the Barber Institute, says: "Few people realise there's a tremendous diversity in the collection. The sculptures' dates span nearly 300 years.
"The University's landscape and architecture is hugely enriched by these sculptures, some of which are by internationally important artists."
* The new Campus Sculpture Trail leaflet is available free on the university campus at the reception desks of the Barber Institute and the Aston Webb building, and from tourist information centres and arts venues around Birmingham.
