While he was scampering around Bath, Mr Monkey encountered a number of decorative and temporary statues of pigs. These were dotted around Bath and the surrounding area to celebrate King Bladud who famously caught leprosy, infected his his pigs with it, accidentally cured them with hot springs and finally founded the city of Bath around the springs. Mr Monkey thought it was all rather like the Cow Parade he'd seen in Manchester in 2004.
You can read all about the pigs at the King Bladud's Pigs in Bath website.
Mr Monkey found this pig standing on platform one of Bath Spa station, near the steps out of the station. According to its label it was called Serrano.
Back to Bath Spa station
Mr Monkey found this pig next to the front door of Bath Abbey church. Mr Monkey thinks it's supposed to look a bit like a stained glass window in porcine form. Its name is Abi.
Back to the Abbey church
Mr Monkey found another pig when he was touring the Roman Baths. Bath Pig was lurking near the King's Bath. With its scaly skin it might be one of King Bladud's herd of sick pigs, only it looks rather cheery and healthy.
Back to the king's Bath
Mr Monkey met Bubbles outside the Thermae Bath Spa. Covered in bubbles, it's obviously symbolising the frothy water within the spa.
Back to the Thermae Bath Spa
Scampering through Abbey Green, Mr Monkey looked up and saw Pig of Paradise pretending to be a tropical rain forest while clinging to a pair of trapezes.
Back to Abbey Green
Mr Monkey met Roger beside a post box in Lauren Place. Mr Monkey was intrigued by the delicate decoration on the pig, but wondered if anyone had told it the rudiments of road safety.
Back to Lauren Place
In Queen Square Mr Monkey found Pigs Might Fly, a pig with two sides. Mr Monkey examined the day side of the pig, which showed balloons above Bath. Mr Monkey recognized the Thermae Bath Spa, the Abbey, the Queen Square Obelisk and suspected he'd see the other buildings later.
When he'd finished with the day side of Pigs Might Fly Mr Monkey went around to the dark side to see rockets and stars in the dark. He noticed that on this side, the pig's eye was in the moon.
Mr Monkey found Cosmo beside Pigs Might Fly. Cosmo is a dark pig, completely covered in distant stars and planets.
Before he left Queen Square Mr Monkey looked up into a tree to find Grimaldi the circus pig riding a trapeze above him. This pig is wearing the make up and costume of Joseph Grimaldi, the famous clown.
Back to Queen Square
On the corner of Old King Street and Gay Street Mr Monkey met Piguana, a scaly green lizardy pig (or piggy lizard).
Back to Gay street
Looking down onto the stretch of park between the Gravel Walk and the Royal Avenue, Mr Monkey saw a pig scampering towards him.
When he realised that the pig wasn't actually moving, Mr Monkey went down to inspect it.
When he got close up he found that the pig was named Piggery because it's covered in different breeds of pig, including the very rare winged pig and the seldom seen ballooning pig.
Back to the park
Mr Monkey found another two sided pig, Porc Au Circque, on the grass in the center of the Circus. One side of the pig shows a chimp who is apparently now a householder in the area.
On the other side of Porc Au Circque Mr Monkey found a clown's face and a line in French claiming that the pig wasn't a pig.
On the other side of the Circus Mr Monkey met Prince Ropork. From a distance the prince is a little dull, but close up he seems to be a very sparkly beast indeed.
Just off the Circus Mr Monkey perceived a Pig in Prada posing on a porch. Mr Monkey wasn't totally convinced that this pigs costume really reflected the elegance the Prada brand likes to claim.
Back to the Circus
Pig in Clover was waiting outside the Assembly Rooms when Mr Monkey scampered past. Mr Monkey was quite taken by the pigs jacket, which looks as if it was converted from a Tiffany lampshade.
Back to the Assembly Rooms
On Lansdown Road Mr Monkey saw The Nº1 Pig. Mr Monkey wasn't totally impressed by the pig's colour scheme of blue spots, brown bars and green splodges but thought they were probably very symbolic.
Back to Lansdown Road
The last pig Mr Monkey saw on his day in Bath was Pig Noir, who was standing outside the Little Theatre. The pig had obviously been watching a lot of film noir and had wrapped himself in images from movies. On one side of the pig Mr Monkey saw a car load of sinister types.
On the other side of Pig Noir Mr Monkey found that the pig had been studying Sunset Boulevard and that there was a woman's face around the pig's eye.
Back to the Little Theatre
Return to Mr Monkey in Bristol and Bath
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey.