The Millennium Mammoth
The Millennium Mammoth is a life size model of a Woolly Mammoth created by Daniel Fraser Jones and funded by SUSTRANS and Leicester City Council.
SUSTRANS are the charity responsible for the National Cycle Network that stretches for 5000 miles between Dover and Inverness. Part of the Leicester section passes directly beneath the gaze of the mammoth and is marked by wooden signposts throughout the park.
As well as being an instantly recognisable landmark for the National Cycle Network, the Mammoth also marks the location of the Ken Chamberlain Memorial Woodland. Ken was a keen environmentalist who constructed over 25,000 nest boxes and sold them for charity, raising thousands of pounds in the process. The newly planted wood now stands as a memorial to Ken and also to hundreds of other people who are no longer with us.
Around 25 years ago when the now flooded gravel extraction pits at Watermead were created, a large log was found buried in the deposits. Wedged underneath this log were the remains of Ice Age animals including Woolly Mammoth.
These remains confirm that the animal once roamed the River Soar. It would have shared the valley with our ancestors and have been an important resource to them. Its meat would have provided nourishment, its hide provided clothing, and its bones used as tools and for building materials.
- The monument celebrates our heritage and symbolises the link with our ancestors and the local landscape
- Creates a sense of time and place
- It represents a focal point for the Leicester section of the national cycle network
- It provides an educational resource for schools
The Woolly Mammoth is believed to have died out due to climate change and possible human overkill. These are two issues only too familiar to us today. What more magnificent an ambassador from the past to remind us of the need to care for the future.
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Woolly mammoths once roamed the whole of the northern hemisphere in their millions and were more common than their close relatives, elephants. They had thick woolly coats to help protect them from harsh arctic winters, but, despite popular belief, they only encountered snow seasonally, as we do, their environment was not permanently snowbound. The lush green steppes below the snowline were where they found their favoured food of grasses, sedges, lichens and the like.
Some dwarf forms of mammoth may only have died out around 4000 years ago, about the time the pyramids of Egypt were being built. It may be that only a mere 60 human lifespans have passed since the last mammoths walked the Earth.
The Millennium Mammoth is made up of a steel frame bolted onto a concrete plinth. The mammoth itself consists of cement and is a very robust structure.
However, in common with other landmarks/focal points, particularly in urban areas, it is likely that the mammoth will be subject to vandalism. It is important we identify any persistent acts of vandalism as early as possible so that we can take steps to deal with the perpetrators.
We are asking you to befriend the mammoth and take note of and report any acts of vandalism you witness rather than physically intervene yourself.
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The two lakes and surrounding countryside that the mammoth overlooks form Leicester City Council’s section of Watermead Country Park. The whole park stretches to the north as far as Syston. The northern area is managed by Leicestershire County Council.
Location Map of Main Parks
Watermead Country Park can be accessed via Alderton Close, off the A607 Melton Road.
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Alderton Close car park
Birstall adjacent to the White Horse Public House or at several points along the riverside
Footpaths run from Melton Road across to Birstall giving access to Watermead at several points
The paths surrounding the nature lakes are for the most part wheelchair accessible. It is not necessary to go to the top of the hill to enjoy excellent views.
If you require more information please contact Parks Services.
See also:
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