Ghosts in the Gardens returns to York city centre

They range from a medieval knight to a highwayman, a fisherman sitting beside the River Foss to a peacock at Museum Gardens, its tail feathers spread.

There's a bride being pursued by her groom, a nurse, a cat, an artist, a gardener...

All have been shaped out of aluminium wire mesh, giving them a wraithlike, ghostly appearance. So it's no real surprise that, collectively, they're known as the 'Ghosts in the Gardens'.

A ghostly Victorian gentleman (Image: John Poole)

The brainchild of the York BID (Business Improvement District), they were designed by York firm Unconventional Design and sculpted with the help of a collective of local artists.

They were installed at sites around the city centre last Friday - and they'll remain in place until November 7, a wonderfully teasing addition to York's historic centre.

The 'Ghosts in the Gardens' were first seen in the city centre a year ago. Then there were only 10 of them - and they were in place for a week in the Museum Gardens (hence the name).

They proved massively popular, with families and photographers making the trip to see the ghosts and capture the ethereal sculptures in their beautiful setting.

As a result, the number of sculptures has expanded - to 25 originally, and to 26 from today (a 'Shakespearean' character is being installed on the balcony at Barley Hall). They're still ghostly in appearance, and many are historical - although this year, some also reference more modern aspects of York life.

Ghostly fisherman at the River Foss (Image: Lisa Young)

And whereas a year ago, they were confined to Museum Gardens, this year they have spread out across the city (though the greatest concentration is still to be found in Museum Gardens themselves).

They're still attracting attention, though. Claire Palmer, one of the directors of Unconventional Design, said: "A lot of people were coming up to us while we were installing them. We got a lot of really good feedback. It was obvious that everyone was enjoying them!"

Since then, they have been a magnet to photographers - including several members of the Press Camera Club, who have been snapping away.

Carl Alsop, the operations manager of York BID whose brainchild Ghosts in the Gardens originally was, said the response had been brilliant.

"Lots of people have been tagging each-other on Facebook, and to see the response of people in the city centre - we're just really really happy with the way it has been received!" he said.

We're not going to give you a full list of all 26 sculptures here - part of the fun is trying to find them all.

But we warned: it's not always easy.

One of the sculptures is a squirrel. Claire didn't put that one up herself. "And so even I find it difficult to find!" she said.

Ghosts in the Gardens runs until Monday November 7.

After that, the sculptures will be taken down, repaired if necessary, and then put into storage - hopefully for another show next year...