The sea monster of Tooley Street
Published 6 August 2010
Southwark Council can today reveal the truth behind the Tooley St sea monster that has been turning heads all summer.
The monster, made of flowers and a wire frame, is the brainchild of Mike Mann
He's been working for the council for 13 years and has gone from being a landscaper to supervising all the landscaping work on verges and estates in the north of the borough.
He and his team had been charged with finding cost effective ways to brighten up streets and estates.
A trained landscape gardener, Mike went to a horticulture show and spied a collection of flower models - a wire frame in the shape of an object or animal covered in brightly coloured flowers.
The models caught his eye and he then convinced his boss to let him bring one to Southwark.
Nessie then came to life in the flower bed at the Tower Bridge end of Tooley Street in May.
Nessie has had some great feedback, and now Mike is on the look out for other ideas.
Ideas for the next Nessie can be emailed to daniel.mazliah@southwark.gov.uk.
