Edinburgh council investigating after beloved Elm Row pigeon statue goes missing for a second time

The much-loved Elm Row pigeon statues, which returned to the area in July 2023 after a 17-year absence, have been a popular focal point for locals when passing through the revamped public realm space.

But it appears one of the popular artworks has been taken, with a second statue vandalised in recent weeks – an act the council’s culture and communities convener described as ‘extremely disappointing’.

Two Elm Row pigeon statues have been removed from their plinths in the last two weeks | Craig Jones Rowley

One statue, which was feared missing two weeks ago, was taken in by a local business for safe keeping after it was found vandalised. But on Tuesday (May 13) a second pigeon statue was reported missing from the flock. It comes after one of the beloved sculptures was ripped off its base in December 2023.

Craig Jones Rowley, owner of Dean Jones Hairdressing on Elm Row, whose salon is metres away from the quirky city artworks, said: “It’s such a shame that this has happened again. The statues are a focal point in the street, everybody stops to take pictures. The kids love them, they sit on them for family photos and it’s a nice wee attraction – so it’s such a shame to see them missing.

“I spoke to the café next door and unfortunately their CCTV doesn't overlook where the pigeon statues are. I just hope this isn’t going to be something that keeps happening – these statues are really nice for the area because they’re quite eye-catching things.”

The first statue was reported missing two weeks ago | Craig Jones Rowley

Councillor Margaret Graham, culture and communities convener, said: “We currently have one of the pigeons in storage following a recent act of vandalism and plan to reinstate it later this year. Thanks to the staff in Ladbrokes who reported it, kept it safe and handed it in to us.

“We’re now investigating reports that a second pigeon is missing and have reported the matter to the police. It’s extremely disappointing that anyone would cause this kind of damage. It is costly to the Council, as well as spoiling this much-loved piece of public art.”

The flock of pigeon sculptures, that were first introduced to Elm Row in 1996, were removed in 2006 as part of the original tram project before returning to Elm Row this year. The statues were unveiled to the public on July 27 after being refurbished and completely recast by Powderhall Bronze.