A LITTLE known story of a Maharajah and his elephants who once lived on the North Yorkshire Coast is being brought to life with a family of willow elephants.

The 2m high sculptures of the mother and her two calves were created by Whitby artist Emma Stothard at the annual Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage on September 9 and 10.

The 2m-high mother and her two babies were first seen at Highgrove House, the Gloucestershire family residence of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as part of the house’s first garden festival in the summer of 2015.

Emma named the mother Tara after a topiary elephant at Highgrove which is a mark of remembrance for the Duchess’s late brother, Mark Shand, who co-founded a charity dedicated to conserving Asian elephants. Emma was asked to display them in Staithes as a tribute to a little-known local story about the elephants of Sandsend. In the 1860s, Indian noble Duleep Singh, the Maharajah of Lahore, lived at Mulgrave Castle near Sandsend. He had a road constructed from teh village to Whitby – legend has it because his elephants didn’t enjoy walking on the sand.

“The Maharajah definitely lived at Mulgrave Castle,” says Emma.

“I’m not sure if the story about the elephants on the beach is true – but I’ve always loved it, and the local connection was perfect for Staithes.”

Tara and her calves can be seen at Staithes on Seaton Garth, overlooking the harbour.