Rombold, the legendary giant.

Another of my 2013-14 Keighley project photos, this bronze statue of the legendary giant, Rombold, is currently situated in an open café in the Airedale Shopping Centre in Keighley. Folklore has it that Rombold originally resided with his wife just outside Keighley on Ilkley Moor, an ancient moor containing many signs of stone and bronze age occupation. A domestic disagreement found Rombold racing from Ilkley to Almscliff hotly pursued by his wife, who was armed with an apronful of stones which she dropped as she chased him. To avoid her, he is reputed to have leapt from one side of one of the valleys clear to the other, but there are lots of this kind of tale around. Presumably the huge stone he is shouldering in the statue is one of the boulders he hefted to hurl back at his raging wife. But another tale that I have heard is that Rombold was a great giant, a god-like character like the Norse god Woden, and resided on Ilkley Moor. When angered, Rombold generated thunder to register his displeasure by hurling enormous boulders across the valleys. His statue was originally located outdoors in all weathers but was moved to being located on his own plinth in an open space in the Shopping Centre. The café was later constructed around him and he now holds court among the coffee drinking shoppers.
(P.S. I always sit with my back to him. He puts me right off my cappuccino!)