00:00The Lodge and Mills Orangery was once part of the zoological and botanical gardens.
00:21During the 1800s the site was home to a dancing bear which was kept in the grounds but the
00:28animal managed to escape and mauled its keeper's wife to death. While the property has formerly
00:35been an arts venue and community space, sadly it stays empty and abandoned today.
00:44But the bear is here to stay. There's a dancing bear painted by the artist Ekaterina Sheaf
00:54which is a nod to the quirky history of the orangery and that's been confirmed that that
01:01will stay for at least another three years. Permission for the dancing bear artwork was
01:08granted in 2022 and it was commissioned as part of the Westgate Heritage Action Zone project
01:16which aims to breathe new life into the city's historic streets and tell hidden stories
01:22of the past.
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