Beatles reunited and back to their roots as rail station artwork unveiled

Mar 27 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

THE Fab Four have been transformed into Fab Foliage in a tribute from the Beatles’ home town.

Life-size topiary figures of Liverpool’s most famous band will be taking centre stage to welcome visitors to the city at Liverpool South Parkway station.

The topiary Beatles were grown in Tuscany, Italy, from privet and placed into a metal "skeleton" by artist Franco Covili 18 months ago.

The topiary is one of a series of public art commissions for Merseyside’s transport network to celebrate Capital of Culture status.

Other projects include a Yoko Ono exhibition at John Lennon Airport and further commissions to be unveiled in time for next month’s Grand National.

Neil Scales, director-general of Merseytravel, said: "It is an imaginative design and reinforces our aim of bringing creativity, through public art, across the public transport network."

Merseytravel funded the topiary, which was commissioned from Covili, one of the world’s leading topiary artists, who began the painstaking task of weaving the branches into shape.

The final design was carried out by a local specialist horticultural company, the Bigger Plant Company in Meols, Wirral.

Director Steve Nicholson said: "The topiary is sculpted from a privet-type plant which adapts well to our climate and will last for years.

"Topiary is one of our specialities and we have a long- established relationship with Tuscany, whose artists are the best in the world.

"They were a little surprised when we asked them to make The Beatles – it is the first time they have ever received a request like this.

"It was a real challenge but the results are fantastic."