King Bladud's statue back in Bath

King Bladud is the supposed founder of the city of Bath

King Bladud's statue will once again be on show in Bath, thanks to a recent project which involved his pigs.

The statue, sculpted by Pieroni in 1859, has been in storage since 2007 and will now stand in Parade Gardens.

It will be unveiled with 30 of the brightly coloured pig sculptures from the 2008 King Bladud's Pigs project.

The life size statue of King Bladud - the supposed founder of the city of Bath - will be officially unveiled on Saturday, 31 October, 2009.

During the 19th century, the statue stood on the top of the fountain in Bath Street.

In 1872, it was removed from Bath Street and has been in the grounds of various houses on Entry Hill and in the gardens of Springfield Nursing Home.

Councillor Bryan Chalker said: "Bath and North East Somerset Council is delighted that the statue of King Bladud can once again be enjoyed by the public.

"[We] would like to thank King Bladud's Pigs project for their help with the move.

"We want to celebrate the history of the city and get a new generation interested in learning more about the world class arts and culture on our doorstep."

Gitte Dawson from King Bladud's Pigs project said: "Right from the beginning, the King Bladud's Pigs project team were keen to restore this statue to public view, and so were the members of the public."

The statue will stand alongside a stone pig carved by Nigel Bryant and students from The City of Bath College.