Can anyone tell me what happened to the stainless steel bull that greeted motorists off the m1. I have been told today that it has been melted down. Can someone PLEASE tell me this isn't true

Isn't it at the Magna Centre now? By the visitor entrance.

I think you will find it was Avesta Polarit and not Corus, and it was moved when Avesta became Outu Kumpu if you mean that steel thing you used to see off the motorway.

I think you will find it was Avesta Polarit and not Corus, and it was moved when Avesta became Outu Kumpu if you mean that steel thing you used to see off the motorway.

Nearly right. The bull was up when it was British Steel Stainless and got taken down after they became AvestaPolarit. For a long time it lived in the old plate mill with a few hundred tons of radioactive contaminated steel for company (pacemaker in the scrap metal apparently).

They kept trying to give it away to the council to stick on a roundabout somewhere, but the council weren't too bothered.

I hope it has found a nice home now.

I repeat ....... Isn't it at the Magna Centre now? By the visitor entrance.

I repeat ....... Isn't it at the Magna Centre now? By the visitor entrance.


Don't worry Saxon. I'm listening! :hihi:


From the Magna Website:

One of the North of England's most famous landmarks, a stainless steel bison seen by hundreds of thousands of M1 motorway travellers each year, will soon find a new home at one of the region's most popular visitor attractions.

Outokumpu Stainless Ltd, the largest manufacturer and supplier of stainless steel in the UK and one of Sheffield’s leading employers, has agreed to relocate the bison to Rotherham's Magna Science Adventure Centre.

The fabricated sculpture weighs two tonnes and is made up of sixteen separate cast stainless steel pieces. Until 2001, the bison stood on top of a two metre high plinth adjacent to the northbound M1 at junction 34. It will now take up a similarly high profile position by Magna's entrance and opposite Magna's latest addition, the Sci-Tek playground, where it will be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors to the centre every year.

The bison will officially be unveiled at its new home, less than two miles from its previous site, in a ceremony on 25 August 2004.

Commenting on the decision to move the bison to Magna, Phil Rodrigo at Outokumpu Stainless, said:

"We're thrilled that the public will again be able to enjoy the bison sculpture. Magna is an ideal location as it has thousands of visitors each year, including many local people, who, we know from enquiries we receive, really miss him."

Christine Melia, Managing Director of Magna, added:

"We're all eagerly awaiting the bison's arrival and hope it will feel right at home at Magna.

Magna was the obvious choice for its relocation due to its steel history and the fact that at least a thousand local people and tourists will get to see and enjoy it every day. We hope that it will gain the landmark status of the Angel of the North here for South Yorkshire."


The bison sculpture was first installed by Avesta Sheffield, whose company logo was itself a bison, in the summer of 1996 on their land at Shepcote Lane in Sheffield, adjacent to the M1. It was a replica of a sculpture at the company's site in Avesta, Sweden, that was created by artist Lars Andersson. The Sheffield bison was the work of his son, Jonas Hohental.

After Avesta Sheffield became Avesta Polarit in January 2001, the bison was removed and the company were inundated with enquiries as to its whereabouts. Rumours circulated that the bison had been melted down, but in reality it was simply put into storage until a suitable home had been decided.

Outokumpu completed their takeover of AvestaPolarit in Autumn 2002 and formally renamed the AvestaPolarit operations in January 2004. The decision was then made to relocate the bison at Magna, where it will continue to act as a symbol of South Yorkshire’s prestigious stainless steel industry.

Was this after it has been sat amongst all that radioactive contaminated steel that was mentioned earlier ?? :o

Perhaps thats why the council didnt want anything to do with it.

Could it be affected by the radioactive contaminated steel mentioned earlier . ?? :confused:

And here's a picture of it, "borrowed" from my former employer's website!

Bull (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/SteelCity185/magnabull.jpg)

Thanks cgksheff :thumbsup: I thought it was 'National Ignore saxon51 Week' for a moment there. :sad:

I remember the bull on the heading of the company's stationery.

I also remember a letter to the employees being copied by some wag and reprinted the bull complete with a pile of bull***t behind it.


Happy Days!

I thought it was 'National Ignore saxon51 Week' for a moment there.

You're a bit early, I think you'll find that this is the week commencing the 27th...


.

It's at the Magna center - Rotherham :D

The bull you mention is now on the Magna site.

I repeat ....... Isn't it at the Magna Centre now? By the visitor entrance.

Your problem saxon51 is that you were not assertive enough, (isn't it at the magna centre), far too whimpy.
So take this opportunity to shout out loudly....... ITS AT MAGNA.......
Now go away and practice

Was this after it has been sat amongst all that radioactive contaminated steel that was mentioned earlier ?? :o

Perhaps thats why the council didnt want anything to do with it.

Could it be affected by the radioactive contaminated steel mentioned earlier . ?? :confused:

No, not really. The contaminated material was slag that fell prey to plutonium irradiation from a heart pacemaker. The slag was later moved at a cost of £6million to Cumbria, the Bison suffered no ill-effects:hihi:

It stampeded, knocking 2 towers down in its path.

Nearly right. The bull was up when it was British Steel Stainless and got taken down after they became AvestaPolarit.

Its not a bull it’s a bison and did not appear until Avesta bought in to the then British Steel Stainless, it was removed when Outokumpu moved in and the rest is history.

They should find room for it at Meadowhall with the foundry statues, kids could then say “what’s that dad” and the dads can say” that’s from the days when the country actually made something and Sheffield was the Steel City”.

Its not a bull it’s a bison .......

It is both a bison and a bull!

It is both a bison and a bull!

I am interested, go on enlighten me, how can it be both.

How do you think a male bison is described? ...... as opposed to a female one?

Have you never heard of a Bull Elephant?

I am interested, go on enlighten me, how can it be both.

A bull, ie male not-neutered Bison - a type of American buffalo ... cow in simple terms.

Avesta were a Swedish company and apparently Bison used to roam northern Europe, the company used the Bison as a sign of strength and their historical past.

We all know that many animal male species are called bulls but in this case I think its more suited to call the stainless one a Bison as most people would consider a bull to be something seen in a farmers field rather than roaming northern Europe.


"The bison - a close relative of the American buffalo - came close to extinction in the 20th century, with only 50 animals left in zoos. "


"The World Wildlife Fund, which has organised the project, says Russia, with its vast uncultivated spaces, is an ideal location to make the bison's survival a realistic possibility. "

Absolutely correct to call it a Bison!

... but wrong to say that it was not a bull.


Based upon the form, it looks like a bull bison as opposed to a cow bison.

Absolutely correct to call it a Bison!

... but wrong to say that it was not a bull.


Based upon the form, it looks like a bull bison as opposed to a cow bison.

Well that clears that up then. :thumbsup:

Ps it was defiantly a bull Bison as a visit to Magna will verify. :blush:

I was just wondering this the other day, where the bull ended up, but didn't have the idea of asking on here..

SF saves the day again :) well done...

You know the difference between a buffalo and a bison ? - you can't wash your face in a buffalo!

It was a bison - adopted as the company (Avesta) logo as the founder was a bit of a conservationist, and also had a breeding herd near the town of Avesta in Sweden. I was one of the lucky ones who visited the swedish plant and got to see the herd and pat them too ( Ahhhhhhh! ). Apparently ( and this may be a travelers tale ) they used to cull one every year for a get together BBQ type thing for the emloyees. One of the local hunters had the task of "obtaining" one and this particular year, the beast moved as the hunter took his shot. Now the story goes that this resulted in a) the bullet missing its mark and grazing the somewhat tough skull of the beast. b) Said beast becoming mightily peeed off and headbutting its way through the compound fence ( which is made from poles not unlike a telegraph pole) c) said hunter running like the wind trying to reload and drop said beast before it got him!
The guy relating the story was also stood about 20 feet away from us, looking slightly nervous, while we were patting bisons and bison babies - so maybe there was a some truth in the story :hihi:

Can anyone tell me what happened to the stainless steel bull that greeted motorists off the m1. I have been told today that it has been melted down. Can someone PLEASE tell me this isn't true

A bit late but may be of interest:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exstainless/photos/album/1317208085/pic/400596922/view?picmode=large&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc