THE Bradford Boar will watch over Bradford city centre thanks to an arts group.

The huge golden statue, named Babs, is now above the Old Crown pub in Ivegate, by The Brick Box.

The boar has been handed to group by Raise the Roof, former organisers of the Bradford Festival. The boar went on display at the Wild Woods event, held in Darley Street last year. Bradford’s coat of arms features a boar’s head without a tongue because of a story dating back 600 years.

The Bradford boar is said to have terrorised the people of Cliffe Wood, to the north of the city as it is today.

A man called Rushworth killed the boar and cut out his tongue to prove it.

The Brick Box is making last-minute preparations to its weekly events to be held at the former pub every Saturday night from October 14, until Christmas.