A real Puss and Mew at York Distillery

A York sculptor best known for the city's trail of mystery cat statues has created a new feline work with a twist: it dispenses gin. Jonathan Newdick's Puss & Mew was unveiled this week at York Distillery in front of the Sheriff of York and other guests, and is believed to be the only working example of its kind in the country since the 18th Century.

The two-foot-tall interactive sculpture is based on a Georgian gin vending machine that flouted the strict licensing laws of the 1730s. When visitors deposit a coin in the slot in the cat's mouth, a bell rings and a shot of York Gin Old Tom flows from a pipe in the cat's paw into a waiting glass below.

The world's first vending machine

The story behind Puss & Mew stretches back to 1736, when Parliament passed the Gin Act to restrict the sale of gin during the Gin Craze: a period of widespread moral panic about excessive consumption of the spirit. Gin sellers required expensive licences, and the penalties for breaking the law were severe.

One inventive individual, Captain Dudley Bradstreet, found a loophole. He installed a cat-shaped wooden sign on the outside of his building. A gin drinker would approach and whisper "Puss puss..." asking whether gin was available. If the answer was yes, they would hear a cat's "Mew" from inside. The buyer slipped a coin into the cat's mouth, and a measure of gin was poured through a pipe hidden in the cat's paw into a waiting cup held below.

By serving the public anonymously, Bradstreet avoided identification, and the police did not have authority to enter the building. The mechanism is widely considered to be the world's first vending machine. An original wooden Puss & Mew is on display at the Beefeater Gin Museum in London.

Artist impression of Puss and Mew, by Briony Godivala.

A first for Jonathan Newdick

Creating a functional sculpture presented challenges the artist had not previously encountered in a career spanning nearly 50 years. Puss & Mew is the first piece Newdick has made that contains a mechanism, produces sound, and delivers a measured pour of liquid. It is also the first of his works designed to be physically handled by the public.

"It's been quite challenging because of its function," said Newdick. "It's the first time I've created a sculpture which also has a mechanism. It makes a sound and delivers a measure of gin. That took a bit of skill and a bit of luck."

The sculpture is made using cold-cure patinated bronze and Jesmonite, mounted on a teak base engineered with longevity and repeated public interaction in mind.

"You get a bit of a feeling like when you approach any cat," he added. "Slightly nervous, slightly intrigued. There's a sense of mystery to it, and the mischievous look on its face is challenging you to have another nip!"

Jonathan Newdick, Sculptor, with the Puss and Mew, at York Distillery a home of York Gin.

A slightly bonkers idea

Emma Godivala from York Gin said: "I know that Jonathan doesn't often take new commissions, so I was thrilled to capture his imagination with this slightly bonkers idea. We've wanted to recreate a real Georgian-era Puss & Mew for a few years now."

"Jonathan's cat has moved stealthily from the 18th into the 21st century, into the world of the modern gin lover, the cat lover, and something sinister in between. We can't wait for Puss to serve some of our Old Tom gin to visitors at York Distillery!"

Part of York's mystery cats

Puss & Mew continues Jonathan Newdick's long-standing creation of the city's mystery cats: a collection of feline sculptures he has carefully embedded in York's streetscape and folklore for nearly 50 years. Around 50 cat statues adorn York's buildings, documented in The Mystery Cats of York book. Thousands of visitors follow the cat trail each year.

The new sculpture will feature in the next edition of The Mystery Cats of York, cementing its place within the city's public art heritage. The York Gin logo itself features Rutterkin, a cat sitting on the city's famous walls.

Newdick was elected a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 2004 and works from his studio in York, carving in wood, stone and bronze. Find out more about his work and the Mystery Cats book at themysterycatsofyork.co.uk.

Try Puss & Mew at York Distillery

The sculpture will be accessible to visitors at York Distillery when experiences and classes are not in session. Guests at our gin tasting sessions get to experience Puss & Mew first-hand as part of their visit: depositing a coin, hearing the bell, and receiving their own measure of Old Tom the Georgian way.

York Distillery is located at Skeldergate, York YO1 6DS, within the grounds of Middleton's Hotel, a short walk from Clifford's Tower. Book a gin tasting here.