Elephant King

Created by: Donna Newman
Sponsored by: Dyer & Co Wealth Management Ltd. 
Location: Leicester Cathedral

Overview

This striking elephant sculpture is a powerful tribute to King Richard III, whose remains were famously discovered beneath a car park in Leicester. The elephant is painted to resemble the king in full regalia, donning intricately detailed armour and a richly embroidered tabard, emblazoned with the royal standard.


A regal cape drapes from his back, while a crown rests proudly atop ihis head, symbolizing the king’s lost legacy. The sculpture captures the spirit of Richard III, merging the grandeur of royalty with the majestic presence of an elephant, creating a poignant connection to Leicestershire’s history and the king’s dramatic fate.

Location

Leicester Cathedral

Meet the Artist

Donna Newman

Donna Newman is the Artist behind Eden-designs Murals. Working with Schools across the Midlands, she seeks to inspire young people by transforming their learning environments with her vibrant artwork. A fine Art graduate from Coventry University, Donna responds to clients with creativity and flair producing original, playful designs in a wide variety of subjects. She is a self-proclaimed addict of public art trails and has worked closely with Wild in Art on over 100 sculpture commissions helping to raise over £400,000 for charities through their sales. Working in numerous locations and on various surfaces, Donna is an extremely versatile artist who brings colour and life through her art.

Meet the Sponsor

Dyer & Co Wealth Management Ltd.

At Dyer & Co. Wealth Management Ltd we offer friendly, professional financial advice tailored to individuals, families, and businesses.

Based in Leicestershire, our family-run firm provides a wide range of services to help you build, grow, protect and preserve your wealth.

Our expert team covers investment, retirement, protection planning, corporate services, and more—guiding you through every stage of your financial journey.

Meet the Elephants

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

Created by: Glebelands Primary SchoolLocation: King Richard III Visitor CentreThe whole school had the brief of diversity. They then represented this in their designs along with the school values of Empathy, Learning, Respect and Kindness. The whole school agreed that...

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Geraldine

Geraldine

Created by: Gartree High SchoolLocation: This + That by LOROSAll of our KS3 students worked so hard in coming up with incredible design ideas for our elephant - exploring different cultures, the idea of loss and healing, and things that give us happiness and comfort....

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Atlas

Atlas

Created by: Ellesmere CollegeLocation: Westcotes LibraryEllesmere students have been looking at environmental issues this year. They wanted to highlight some of those issues in the design of Atlas and in his description. Green house gas emissions associated with food...

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Dorothy

Dorothy

Created by: Dorothy Goodman SchoolLocation: Attenborough Arts Centre - The Salmon GalleryThe sculpture was delivered to the Vocational Sixth Form site of Dorothy Goodman School. Students got to see the elephant for the first time in an end of day assembly. They were...

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Rosemary

Rosemary

Created by: Danemill Primary SchoolSponsored by: SimplifyLocation: Leicester Cathedral - Main HallAfter hearing about the ASHA charity and how they support children in the slums of India the Children of Danemill thought there would be no one better to look to for...

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Effie

Effie

Created by: Church Hill Infant SchoolLocation: Leicester Guildhall- Great HallWe based the design on our school values. Each class was given a focus value to create a design for their section of the elephant. The five designs were; Teamwork, Excellence, Being Unique,...

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Addai

Addai

Created by: Christ the King Catholic Voluntary AcademyLocation: Westcotes LibraryAll children had the chance to submit a design idea for our elephant. From nearly 200 designs, a selection from across year groups were picked to be included in our final design. The idea...

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Sparkle

Sparkle

Created by: Christ Church & St Peter's Primary SchoolLocation: LOROS Bookshop - WindowThe whole school took part in a competition to design Sparkle. We really wanted her to represent the school, our values… and our sparkly edges! Someone mentioned the tea towels...

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Artie

Artie

Created by: Charnwood ArtsSponsored by: Morningside (Aspire Pharma)Location: Attenborough Arts Centre- The Salmon GalleryCharnwood Arts is dedicated to promoting creativity, inclusion and community engagement through the arts. This is why our artists wanted to create...

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