The Concrete Cows...

I'm really fond of them. They mean home to me and hundreds of thousands of other people in and from the new city of MK.

Here they are in the MK shopping mall, at Midsummer Place. They were created in 1978 by Canadian artist Liz Leyh, when she was Artist in Residence in MK, with the help of local schoolchildren.

The iconic cows have led a rather adventurous lifestyle, including being kidnapped and held to ransom. They have also been rearranged in 'compromising positions', decapitated or repainted by vandals and once headlined the Cambridge Folk Festival.

After the problems with vandalism, and in recognition of the popularity of the cows, the Milton Keynes Parks Trust commissioned a second herd of cows to ensure that the city would never be without their beloved mascots. The second set of cows are still currently grazing at Bancroft Park in north MK.

And there's a rather good local brewery named after them. Try their beer if you get the chance!

If you're interested in such 'conceptual art', there is a reliable entry currently in Wikipedia, which gives more detail.
Also here: http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/mkm/concows.html