A SCULPTURE of Thwaites famous shire horses and dray will form the centrepiece of the firm's new £8million pound new brewery in the Ribble Valley.

The life-size artwork weighing 2.5 tons will be sited on a special cobbled area at the entrance of the new Sykes Holt complex near Mellor Brook.

It features Thwaites current Shires Wainwright and Gunner pulling a brewery dray as used to happen with beer deliveries round the streets of Blackburn when the now-closed Star Brewery on Penny Street was in operation.

It shut after 211 years following a travellers invasion in May and beer brewing has already started at the new site with offices, stables (now in the final stages of fitting out) and shire horses to follow in the coming weeks.

The sculpture, created from 600 pieces of steel and eight metres long by 3.8m high, will be place by the end of this month and will recall the days when the horses and dray delivered to pubs around the centre of Thwaites home town.

It was created by South Lakeland sculptor Andrew Kay at his workshop near Kirkby Lonsdale, over two months after he visited Blackburn to measure up his equine subjects.

Thwaites chief executive Rick Bailey said: "We needed a stunning centrepiece for our new development and what Andrew has created for us is brilliant.

"Shire horses are an iconic part of the Thwaites brand, having been part of our heritage for so long and he has really captured their character through this sculpture.

"We are all looking forward to seeing it in situ."

Mr Kay said: "I normally only create sculpture based on living subjects, so it was quite a challenge to make the dray wagon in the same organic style as the Shires.

"We've been discussing this commission for over a year and usually with such a big job I then have to transport it thousands of miles, so on this occasion it's great to know it will be on show nearby.

"Working with the Thwaites team has been great. They knew exactly what they wanted and I may as well admit that I'm rather partial to a pint of Thwaites beer as well,"

The Shire horses still make appearances at events and charity galas.