Waking the Dragon
Waking the Dragon (Deffro'r DDraig) is a proposed bronze sculpture which is to be built in Wrexham, North Wales.
The sculpture, which will stand 210 feet tall, symbolising the heritage and culture of the Welsh people, has been touted as the Welsh equivalent to the Statue of Liberty.[1] The project will be funded through a combination of charitable donations, the purchase of steps within the tower- which can be bought and inscribed for £2,000 each- and investor finance.
It will be made up of a 75 foot bronze dragon with a wingspan of approximately 150 feet, standing upon a 135 foot glass and steel tower, which would allow for panoramic views of Wrexham, its surrounding countryside and across the border into England.[2] The project will also include a 100-seater café/bar, a 125-seater restaurant, an art centre and a gallery next to the tower. It will stand in a landscape of formal and informal pathways, oak trees and daffodil gardens, with the space immediately around the tower to be used to depict the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, the collection of mythological tales of early Wales.
It will sit adjacent to the A5 and was hoped to be completed by August 2011. It was subsequently hoped to be completed by the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London.