Giant panda sculpture named ‘Hendo’ moved from tower block to Sheffield public square

The four-metre-high panda sculpture at New Era Square in Sheffield was previously mounted on the rooftop corner of the scheme overlooking the city.

Following Hendo’s descent last week, the public square is now home to all the panda art installations. This includes the small panda sitting on a bench and another clambering up the side of a pillar – known as Little Mester and Coe Coe respectively.

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Jerry Cheung, Managing Director of New Era Developments, said: “We tested the panda up on the roof for a few months whilst we applied the finishing touches to the rest of the development, and although it certainly made for an impressive skyline vista, we did feel he was a bit wasted up there.

“Therefore, we have made the decision to bring him back down to the ground level so he can become the real showpiece of the art installation and the public square. It is incredibly impressive up close and is already proving to be a real visitor attraction for us, with many people stopping to take a selfie.”

New Era Square is the 430,000 sq ft mixed-use development at St Mary’s Gate. It features Grade A workspace, student residences and quality apartments, restaurants, global street food outlets and the city’s largest oriental supermarket.

The pandas are the creation of David Wei of Hatch Architects and were named last year by readers of The Star.