New public artwork has been installed on top of a Grade-II listed bear pit in a nod to the site's heritage as the “EuroDisney of the Victorian age”.

The sculpture is located on the site of the historic Rosherville Pleasure Gardens off Crete Hall Road, Northfleet.

It's been unveiled as part of housebuilder Keepmoat’s flagship Cable Wharf development with plans for up to 600 new homes on the banks of the River Thames near Gravesend.

The public art sculpture, ‘Born to be Wild’, has been created in collaboration with artists NEON and landscape architects, ARC.

It was approved by Kent County Council last year and has been installed above the buried remains of the Grade-II listed bear pit.

The brick-built structure was once a central attraction of Victorian pleasure gardens that occupied the site in the 19th century and attracted thousands of tourists from London.

The newly installed works draw inspiration from the lines of the archaeological structures buried below and has been designed to be climbed, sat on and walked through.

The installation forms part of a wider heritage strategy to preserve the history of a previously derelict part of the River Thames.

It also encompasses the regeneration and preservation of former cabling factories and the caves in the chalk cliffs.

As part of this visitors will be able to learn more about the site's history through information boards, way-finding markers, street furniture, engraved paving, and additional artwork along the river front.

Mick O’Farrell, regional managing director at Keepmoat, said: “It’s important to us that we celebrate the local history of our sites and their surrounding areas, which is why we’re excited to open ‘Born to be Wild’ to the public at Cable Wharf.

“The art installation has been much anticipated amongst residents at the development and locals in the Northfleet area, and now it is ready to be admired and enjoyed.

“The area is steeped in so much history, inherited from the site’s rich industrial heritage, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this and hope that the artwork can be enjoyed for generations to come.”

Mark Nixon of NEON, added: “We have really enjoyed developing a project for an area so steeped in history.

"We were keen that this project might allow the public to understand the piece of history that lies beneath their feet while also providing an engaging, functional and interactive experience.

"A key component of the project’s success was engagement with the local school children from Rosherville Primary School who encouraged our team to make the sculpture even more wild!”

The bear pit structure, which dates back to around 1837, was previously listed by English Heritage.

It was excavated in late 2012 but covered over again to preserve it by the site’s new owners, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), now Homes England.

In 2016 a campaign was launched to unearth the iconic pit which is thought to be a “very rare surviving example".

However, to preserve the historic structure from weathering and erosion it was advised to re-bury the feature.

Cable Wharf forms part of the emerging Ebbsfleet Garden City developer where there are plans to build 15,000 homes intotal.

It will offer a range of local amenities with 5,666 sq ft of commercial space, a new primary school, and new transport links to and from London and beyond.