Dunbar Bear

The name of the sculpture, The Dunbear, was chosen as the result of a competition involving local schools and named by a pupil at Dunbar Grammar School. It is a play on words of the town of "Dunbar" and the sculpture of a "bear". The brown bear was chosen to symbolise the role that John Muir played in establishing National Parks in the USA. These included Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and through the creation of these certain species such as the brown bear have survived and thrived. According to the sculptor, Andy Scott, The Dunbear "is a symbol of the wilderness John Muir was such a passionate advocate of and is testament to his incredible desire to protect the natural environment".…

The Dunbear is five metres high and positioned on top of a mound at Dunbear Park, Hallhill, in Dunbar. Located immediately adjacent to the A1, the site for The Dunbear was selected as it is at the primary gateway to the town and is visible from both the A1 and East Coast Main Line. Work on the sculpture commenced in 2018 and was completed in 2019. The Dunbear is made of welded steel and fabricated from plates of various thicknesses. Heavy at the bottom and lighter towards the top, this gives the structure an inherent strength. The sculpture is fixed to a base erected on a mound planted with wildflowers, and visitors can access it via a footpath. Illuminated by lighting powered by onsite…