The West of Scotland: Pt 3 – Irvine, North Ayrshire

We soon arrived in the town of Irvine, up in North Ayrshire, our main destination for our road trip which had already seen us explore the towns of Thornhill and Sanquhar in Dumfries & Galloway…

Irvine (ur-vine) :

Status: North Ayrshire Council Area (historically Ayrshire), Town, Scotland

Date: 08/11/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Irvine Courthouse, Irvine War Memorial, Hill Street, Old Parish Church, Trinity Church, Rivergate Shopping Centre, River Irvine, Fullarton Free Church, Trinity Church Bells, The Carrick, Trinity Mirror etc

Our exploration began outside the stunning Court House Building, designed by James Ingram (Died 1879, Architect from Kilmarnock) in the 1850’s. Completed in 1859, it features 2 lower storeys, which support the 120 ft tower above it. The Court House is located on “High Street” the main road through Irvine, coming off the A78 which acts as a bypass for the town heading towards Kilwinning and Saltcoats.

According to the listing on the British Listed Buildings website for the Courthouse, it also contains a Council Chamber, suggesting that the building is a joint Courthouse and Town Hall. Despite this, I assume the Council no longer meets here as on the North Ayrshire Council website they give their address as Cunninghame House instead.

Looking West from the Town Hall, you can see the main town centre, which continues up the High Street to Eglinton Street via the pedestrianised areas. There are a number of Listed Buildings around here, starting with the buildings sat opposite the Town Hall slightly to the North.

In the foreground is Number 65 High Street, currently inhabited by an estate agents called “Taylor & Henderson”. This 2 storey building dates back to the 19th century, and is carved out of stunning sandstone and Ashlar. Already today we had seen the great use of Red Ashlar in Thornhill and Sanquhar, and the different Ashlars are very common materials in Scotland.

The next building along is Number 69 High Street, the local RBS Building, which has a date stone near the top of the building on the right hand side. It was quite hard to read, but it’s possible it read 1656, or 1856, with the latter being the most likely judging by the dates on the surrounding buildings. Numbers 71,73 & 75 are all covered under one listing, and lie on the other side of the RBS. They too date to the late 19th Century, backing up the 1856 theory for the RBS.

On the other side of the road, on the 2nd picture, you can see the tall, grey stone building to the left of the shorter modern white building. This is listed collectively as Numbers 82 – 106 High Street, and dates to the early 20th Century, not long after the previous buildings. It stands 3 storeys high, and has been incorporated into the more modern shop front beneath it.

To the right of the Courthouse, back South along the high street, you will find the towns War Memorial. Looking at old photographs of the town, there used to be a building where it now sits, and the Memorial itself was in the centre of the road directly in front of the Courthouse.

The towns landscape has changed quite a lot since the Memorial was erected in 1920. It stands in memory of all the soldiers from the town who lost their lives in World War I, and new panels were later added to honour those from World War II.

What I like about Irvine is some of the back streets, of which this is a great example. It appears almost medieval, with the cobbled street through the centre, and the clustered, 2 storey houses on either side. It’s a shame that this type of layout is rarely seen throughout the UK today except for the South of England, as it’s a really great use of space and quite aesthetically interesting.

This street is called “Hill Street” and is located off “Kirkgate”, a road which leaves the High Street due West directly in front of the Courthouse building. This area is a little cul de sac, and there are a few things of interest.

The main feature of note in the cul de sac is “Irvine Old Parish Church”, located in the centre of a large Churchyard to the East of High Street.  A Church has existed here for centuries, since at least the 9th century. It is believed that the present Church is the 3rd, and dates back to 1774. It replaces the previous incarnation which was in a dangerous state of disrepair. The Clock face on the tower is a slightly newer addition, having been installed in 1803. The Tower is Octagonal, which is a common feature throughout Scotland, not just on Churches but also on the old Tollbooths, such as the one in Sanquhar which we saw earlier in the day.

The Church here was closely linked with local government arrangements in Irvine, when the town was it’s own burgh between 1372 and 1975. Many of the more important members of the Burgh Council were also members of the Church, whose backing was a great help to many projects. One such example can be found on the Churches official website:

“When gas lighting was to be installed in Bank Street, the Town Council requested a loan of £80 from the church which, with many councillors also on the Kirk Session, was agreed .”

This shows the degree of co-operation that was enabled by the same people representing both sides, and it allowed them to make quicker decisions and get the ball rolling without significant opposition.

Looking back up the cul de sac, we could see the spire of Trinity Church, located next to the main shopping centre in town, but more on them in a moment. The cul de sac has some stunning buildings, and every single building shown here to the left is a listed building. One of my favourites is the 1st full building from the left, with the columns around the entrance. This is listed as “45 & 47 Kirkgate”, a stunning 19th century house crafted out of sandstone Ashlar.

The quality of buildings in Irvine is truly stunning, as the rest of the buildings on the row all look immaculate, and compliment the area well.

We kept moving, and wandered down between the houses to the riverside. The River Irvine flows through the town, and underneath the Rivergate Shopping Centre, which rather uniquely is built on a bridge. The River begins its journey high in the Lanarkshire Hills, before passing into Ayrshire and through Irvine town centre. From here it snakes its way round past the harbour, and out into the Firth of Clyde, between the mainland and the Isle of Arran, completing its 26 mile journey.

Irvine was officially designated as a new town in the 1960’s, and many new developments sprung up, such as the Rivergate Shopping Centre, and this series of 5 large tower blocks. Unusually for what is commonly known as a brutalist design, I don’t find the blocks to be too aesthetically lacking, and they strike quite a pose here, offering a great view along the river and to the various nearby Churches.

So this is the Rivergate Shopping Centre, a large portion of which is suspended above the river on large concrete piles, turning it into a bridge. This view was taken from the South bank of the river, after we had wandered through the centre and emerged on the other side, crossing the river in the process. You can see the spire of Trinity Church, located round at the North end of the building.

Despite its rather brutal modernism, due to the overcast nature of the day it did blend in rather well with the rest of the town, probably helped by the fact that its not often you can go shopping and gaze down at the river flowing underneath you at the same time. I presume the centre opened in the 1970’s, as there are records indicating that a previous road bridge which used to cross the river here was demolished during that decade.

There are a number of important buildings surrounding it on this side, with the HQ of North Ayrshire Council Cunninghame House located directly across the Car Park, and the towns train station sat just over the road to the West. The Station opened in 1839, and regular trains run from here to both Ayr and Glasgow, via Paisley and Prestwick.

Interestingly, there is a large Church at either end of the Shopping Centre, with Trinity Church to the North, and here on the Southern side you will find “Fullarton Free Church”. Fullarton as an area was once separate from Irvine, and was established as its own royal burgh. In 1881 Fullarton became part of the burgh of Irvine, and remains an area of the town today.

The area didn’t fare well after New Town status was given to Irvine, as vast swathes of Fullerton were demolished to allow the new housing, apartments and shopping centre to be built here. Fullarton Church is one of the few notable buildings to survive, and dates back to 1844. By it’s condition I would imagine it is no longer in use, the doors are boarded up and it looks generally dilapidated, however it’s a stunning piece of architecture and I hope it’s preserved for the future.

Moving back through the shopping centre to the North side of the river, we emerged into a large open square which marks the North entrance to the shopping centre.

In the centre of the square is a large reflective funnel, called the “Trinity Mirror” after the nearby Church. Erected in 2013, this 30 ft sculpture was designed by Peter McCaughey, and apparently uses the exact dimensions used on the Churches tower. It also features a series of acrostics around the base. All of the words are mirrored, so you can only read them by looking into the mirror itself. Together the passages all form a code, and passers by are challenged to try and crack it. Sadly we didn’t have time to stay and figure it out, but its an interesting, albeit very expensive, new piece of public art.

The square itself is pedestrianised, and leads Northwards from the entrance to the shopping centre towards the High Street and the pedestrianised streets. As we explored the rest of the square, we came across one of the 3 Trinity Church bells which now sits atop stone plinths outside the Church itself.

So here we are at last at Trinity Church, one of the overriding landmarks on the Irvine Skyline. Originally the congregation had begun meeting up over in Cotton Row, which I understand has now been renamed to Ballot Road, around 1809, as a local Burgher Church. By 1847 it had been transformed into a United Presbyterian Church, and in 1863 they were gifted the land that their new Church would soon be built on.

The architect for the project was called Frederick Thomas Pilkington (1832 – 1898, Scottish Architect) who also designed various others Churches throughout Scotland, including the Capital city of Edinburgh. The Irvine Church was completed in late 1869, with a magnificent tower that stood 170 ft high. Unfortunately it was too heavy and had to be reduced by the end of 1870. It remained in regular use until 1966, when it ceased being used as a place of worship, but it remains an important landmark in the area. A recent turn of events is that a lease has been put up for sale on the Church, which comes with planning permission allowing the new owner to transform the building into use as a Public House or Restaurant. Its a unique opportunity and a great way to guarantee the buildings future.

Our last stop was “The Carrick”, a beautiful old pub that has stood here since 1719. It was later renamed after a ship with the same name, which is the oldest surviving clipper ship in the world. It was launched as the “City of Adelaide” from Sunderland in County Durham in 1864, and was used as a cargo ship between Britain and Australia until 1923 when she was transferred to the Royal Navy and became a training ship based here in Irvine, with the new name of HMS Carrick. She was eventually decommissioned and transferred to Glasgow for a number of years, and then back to Irvine where she was partly restored in the Scottish Maritime Museum, located in the town. Now residing in Adelaide, the ship is to be preserved as an important part of history.

Irvine is an interesting place to explore, and despite being reasonably small, tucked away between the larger towns of Ayr and Kilmarnock, it is actually a very important part of Scotland’s heritage. At one point it is thought that it was also an ancient capital of Scotland, and one of the earliest. Edinburgh wasn’t officially given the title of capital until 1633. Later Irvine was also classed as the Military Capital of Scotland due to the presence of the “Lord High Constable” which was the highest rank of the Scottish Army after the King/Queen.

I really enjoyed finding out about the town, and its in a great location on the Ayrshire coast, with regular transport links to nearby major towns and cities. There are also a number of local airports, with Glasgow Prestwick and Glasgow International all reasonably close, offering internal UK flights as well as International ones. Local buses also connect the town to the rest of Ayrshire, and there is plenty to explore down by the docks, although the bad weather sadly meant we couldn’t really head down that far. Irvine is a fascinating place, but we had one more stop to go, the town of Troon, near Ayr…

Day Trip Around The Sefton Coast: Pt 1 – Another Place, Crosby Beach

To start off our day we decided to go and have a look at a well known sculpture located on the beach in the town of Crosby.

‘Another Place’ is a modern sculpture created in 1997 by artist Antony Gormley, who is also famous for creating the Angel of the North. The sculpture consists of 100 life-size figures looking out over the Irish Sea, between Waterloo and Blundellsands, for over 2 miles (3.2 km).

The figures are replicas of Gormley’s own body and are made from cast iron. Each figure weighs 650 kg (1400 lb) and is about 6 ft 2″ (189 cm) tall. Two foundries (factories that produce metal castings) cast the figures; Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax and Joseph and Jesse Siddons Foundry in West Bromwich.

Before coming to Crosby Beach, the sculpture was displayed in several other European locations, the first being Cuxhaven in Germany and others including Stavanger in Norway and De Penne in Belgium. In March 2007, permission was granted to have ‘Another Place’ permanently installed at Crosby Beach.

 We found the figures to be quite daunting to begin with, the way they all silently stood looking to the horizon, and even though there were only a handful of people on the beach with us we didn’t quite feel alone…

Art: The Big Fish

The Big Fish, also called ‘Bigfish’, is a 10 metre long sculpture by artist John Kindness sitting on the banks of Donegall Quay. Constructed in 1999, the scales of the fish are made out of ceramic tiles, which are decorated with prints of images and texts that relate to the history of Belfast. The eyes contain prints of photos that were taken looking across Belfast Harbour from the top of the Harland and Wolff cranes.

The Ulster museum provided most of the historic images, ranging from Tudor times right up to the present day, and local schools along the line of the River Farset were also asked to provide some drawings to put on the fish.

‘Bigfish’ was commissioned to celebrate the regeneration of the River Lagan and return of the salmon to its waters.

Beneath the sculpture, under the ground, is the location of the confluence of the River Farset with the River Lagan. The River Farset, after which Belfast is named, now runs through a tunnel underneath the High Street as it was gradually covered over in the 18th century.

Within the fish is a time capsule containing various pieces of information, poetry and images about Belfast, and, including the sculpture itself, will give a great snapshot of this wonderful city.

Day Trip to North and South Shields: Pt 2 – South Shields

Our next stop was South Shields, on the South Bank of the River Tyne, in the historic county of Durham…

South Shields:

Status: South Tyneside District, Tyne & Wear (historically Durham), Town, England

Date: 04/04/2013

Travel: Northern Rail (Carlisle – Newcastle Central), Tyne & Wear Metro (Monument – North Shields), Shields Ferry (North Shields – South Shields) Tyne & Wear Metro (South Shields – Newcastle Central)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Beach, Jubilee Clock Tower, Pleasureland, Lakeside Railway, Lake, North Marine Park, South Marine Park, Town Hall, Shields Ferry, Tyne & Wear Metro, Arbeia Roman Fort, Museum and Art Gallery, Tyne Lifeboat, Customs House Theatre, John Simpson Kirkpatrick Statue, Queen Victoria Statue etc

We had just arrived via the Shields Ferry from the neighbouring town of North Shields, on the North bank of the River Tyne, on a boat called the “Spirit of the Tyne”. The Ferry is the quickest way to get between the two, as the Metro only runs back along either side of the River and you would have to change back in Newcastle to get between the towns.

South Shields town centre is only a short walk away from the Ferry, and is a bustling area with plenty of shops, and well known high street brands. This street is called King Street, and interestly the bridge with the Tyne & Wear Metro train you can see further up the street is actually the Metro station itself. The main building is located to the right out of shot, and the platform itself is behind the train, also out of shot. We would find ourselves up there eventually at the end of the day as we made our way back towards Newcastle, but more on that later.

Moving up King Street, we came across a small square where a few roads intersect, which had a few Listed Buildings around the outside. The first is the Barclays Bank Building, shown above, from 1909. Banks always have these stunning old buildings, mainly because at the time they were the only companies who could afford to have them built, but they really add something to the high streets of Britain.

Designed by J H Morton, who worked with a company called J H Morton & Sons based in South Shields, the building has 3 storeys and sits on a corner, meaning the left side of the building is actually sat on Fowler Street rather than King Street.

This view is looking up Fowler Street, looking past the Barclays Bank Building up to Number 27 Fowler Street. This is located just past the tall building with the small dome on the top on the left side of the street, and was built in the 1860’s out of Red Brick, one of the Victorians enduring legacies. Red Brick is a prominent feature in South Shields, and is one of my personal favourite types of architecture.

Our next stop was the South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, just a little further up King Street. The Museum has a beautiful stone lion located outside on the pavement, and the collections themselves are in the lovely Grade Listed Building at the back of the picture.

Originally the building was created as the home of the local Mechanics Institute by John Wardle in 1858. 2 years later, the building was complete, and for the next 13 years it continued to house the Institute, until 173 when it was converted into a Public Library for the town. A Museum section was then added in 1876, which expanded after the Library was moved out to another area of town. There are also plans for a brand new Library to be constructed in 2015 as part of plans to renovate the Market Place, back towards the Shields Ferry.

Today the Museum contains many interesting exhibits, some of which focus on the Local Government District called South Tyneside that covers South Shields and the others towns and villages clustered around the South bank of the Tyne. Similarly North Shields is part of North Tyneside which covers the North bank of the river.

Coal mines were an important part of the local economy 100 years ago, and I even got a small model of a local lighthouse made out of coal from the Museum shop. Other exhibits show artefacts from the area as well as paintings going back centuries. Its a great place to visit, and you can learn much about this interesting little town.

The next building, on the other side of the street, is the this beautiful red brick construction which was originally opened as the South Shields Marine School, in 1869. A later addition to the building was then made in 1909, and for a number of years it remained it’s capacity as the Marine School. At some point in the last few decades the building was converted for use as a pub called “The Kirkpatrick”.

The building was named after John Simpson Kirkpatrick (1892 – 1915), a statue of whom stands outside the building, with a donkey stood behind him. John was a hero from South Shields who served in World War I, who helped to carry wounded soldiers away from the front line of Anzac Cove, Turkey, down to the beach to be rescued, using the donkey. He was sadly killed in the cove a few weeks later during the 3rd Attack on the Cove by the Ottomans, when he was hit by enemy fire.

We kept moving, towards South Marine Park, down near the seafront and the beach. As we reached the entrance to the park, we got a great view down the A183 which runs alongside the park, towards the towns Jubilee Clock Tower. In 1897 Queen Victoria (1819 – 1901) celebrated her Golden Jubilee, and in recognition of this J H Morton designed this stunning Clock Tower, created by John F Scott and R B Farbridge.

Standing an impressive 45 ft tall, the tower stands in front of a small covered building which contains an old Lifeboat of the town called the Tyne, from 1833, which you can just see protruding from the right hand side of the tower. For over 60 years it was in service for the town, saving lives and braving the rough seas, until 1894 when it was placed here, under a canopy built the same year, a permanent memorial for the public.

We entered the park, which as I said is called South Marine Park. On the other side of the A183 lives North Marine Park, the smaller of the two parks. South Marine is a vast open public space, which runs down towards the beach at the seafront.

Designed by the Victorians, whose passion for grandeur made it what it is today, the park has its origins with Matthew Hall, the designer who came up with the overall layout around 1886. John Peebles was immediately given the job of head gardener and started laying out the park, as the area it stands on was once covered by ballast and wastle. The work was completed by 1890 and the park opened to the joy of the residents of South Shields.

Some of the features of the park include this rather interesting sculpture which is based on a range of animals all designed by some school children from the area. Together they were incorporated into a new mythical animals, which appears to have the tail of a large serpent, the body of a dog or horse, with hooves and the head of a carnivore. Either way its an innovative design created by Richard Broderick for South Tyneside Council who originally commissioned the piece. The best design feature is the plinth it sits on, which was specifically designed to mirror the Victorian history of the park, and to make it fit in with the recently restored Victorian surroundings, railings and benchings.

On the 2nd picture, behind the trees to the right you can just see the form of the parks Bandstand. This was added as part of the restoration, and mirrors the 1st Bandstand which was installed in 1904, and built by a company called Macfarlane’s from Glasgow up in Scotland, although I am unsure what eventually happened to it.

At the bottom of the park, nearing the seafront, you will find the Marine Lake, where you can hire pedal boats to go for a relaxing ride across the water, or equally you could take a trip on the miniature railway which circles the lake, which a charming steam engine at the front. The park is a great place to explore and on such a nice day it was the perfect place to be.

Between the park and the beach lies the A183, on the other side of the which the golden sands stretch down towards the water. If you turned left and continued up the road you would also reach Ocean Beach Pleasure Park, a large fairground with various rides and attractions.

Its been a long time since we have seen such a sandy beach, as in my home town of Southport the beach is slowly being overtaken by foliage, and the sea wall has also limited the length of the beach itself. Being out here in Tyneside reminded us of somewhere abroad, with a vast beach and stunning seaside views.

From the beach we could see two notable landmarks, the first being the South Pier, which extends into the sea to act as a breakwater for the entrance to the Tyne for ships arriving and departing the river. The Pier was completed in the 1890’s, as the same time as its counterpart in Tynemouth, near North Shields, called the North Pier.

They both have Lighthouses as the end, added when the Piers were built, and we could see the South Shields Lighthouse from here. It’s an impressive site, and an engineering marvel as it took 54 years to complete the two piers, due to rough seas and the difficult location.

The other landmark we could see was the ruins of Tynemouth Castle, which despite looking reasonably close is actually on the other side of the river in the town of Tynemouth, near the North Pier. It sits on area of rock called Pen Bal Crag, and the ruins take in not just the Castle but also the associated Priory.

The Priory predates the Castle, when it was built in the 7th Century. The Priory is known for being the location of the graves of 3 Kings, the 1st being Oswin, king of Deira in 651. Deira was an area which takes in present day Northern England and the South-East of Scotland, around Berwickshire and Northumberland. The next King to be buried here was King Osred in 792. He was followed by the Scottish King Malcolm III who died in 1093 during the Battle of Alnwick, between the Scots and the English. The English eventually went on to win the battle.

By 1296 the Castle was begun, mainly as defences for the Priory itself, and consisted of tall stone walls, as well as a Gatehouse and Barbican. A lot of this still survives, along with ruins of the main building of the Priory, destroyed in 1538 by the Reformation under King Henry VIII. The Castle itself however was in a defensive position along the coast, and was retained with new artillery postings being located here, eventually becoming a barracks, and retaining its defensive importance during World War II. After the war it passed into the care of English Heritage, and it is open to the public for visits.

It’s an incredible site, the sheer scale of the area, and its position overlooking the sea.

That was the end of our exploration of South Shields, so we wandered back towards the Metro Station. The Metro was originally a number of local trains, which were eventually incorporated into one service together.

From the platform, which is elevated above the town, you get a great view of the local skyline. We also spotted the Clock Tower of South Shields Town Hall, which really stands out above the other buildings. It’s not often we get to this elevation, especially not outside, usually we would be looking through a glass window so it was nice to get this kind of view in a general setting.

The Town Hall dates back to 1910, and more recently in 2010 its celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was designed by Mr Ernest E Fetch from London in 1902, and work commenced in 1905. The Tower was topped out in 1908 and the rest of the building in 1910. As a memorial a statue of Queen Victoria was erected outside the building 3 years later, although it was later moved to an area called Chichester near the town, only to be returned finally in 1981.

The train arrived and we were soon our way back round towards Newcastle Central Station where the metro intersects with the mainline station, albeit on low level platforms. From there we caught the train back to Carlisle, and reflected on a very enjoyable day.

South Shields has regular metro services towards Newcastle, running through all local areas on route. The Shields Ferry also runs over the Tyne to North Shields where the Metro can be joined to travel round to Newcastle Airport as well as Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. The East Coast Mainline runs through Newcastle allowing passengers to get direct trains down through Durham, Darlington, York and Peterborough to London heading South, and North to Glasgow/Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed.

South Shields is a fascinating little town in a great location by the sea, with views to match. It’s an enjoyable place to visit, and we had a great time during out day out.

Art: The Halo

In my last art post I talked about a sculpture called the ‘Singing Ringing Tree‘ which is part of the ‘Panopticons‘ project. ‘The Halo’ was the fourth and final sculpture to be constructed as part of this project.

Designed by John Kennedy of LandLab, it is an 18 metre wide steel lattice structure which is supported by a tripod lifting it 5 metres above the ground. It is situated on the expended landfill site which over looks the town of Haslingden, next to Rawtenstall,  in the Rossendale district of Lancashire.

After dark, ‘The Halo’ is lit using low-energy LEDs which are powered by an adjacent wind turbine. The lights glow a sky-blue colour and they give it the effect it’s hovering over the town below.

You get a fantastic view of the surrounding hills from the top, and there are some information boards pointing out the local landmarks you are able to see (weather permitting!).

Art: Singing Ringing Tree

The Singing Ringing Tree is a wind-powered sound sculpture situated on the Pennine Hills overlooking the town of Burnley.

It is one of the four sculptures created for the ‘Panopticons‘ project. The project, by the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network, involved the construction of 21st century landmarks that gave a complete view across the surrounding area of East Lancashire. The four sculptures were erected in the districts of Blackburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. It took six years to complete the project, with the last sculpture being erected in 2007.

(image from Wikipedia)

The Singing Ringing Tree was designed by Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of the Tonkin Liu architect firm. It is a 3 metre tall construction made out of galvanised steel pipes which harness the energy of the wind to produce a discordant, choral sound. It is quite haunting. Here is a short video documenting this.

Whilst some of the pipes are purely for structure and aesthetic elements, the others have been cut across their widths to enable the sound. The harmonic and singing qualities were produced by making holes in the underside of each pipe according to their length.

Unfortunately we haven’t yet visited the sculpture, but we did see it in the distance when we visited Burnley.

Our view of the sculpture from Burnley. As you can imagine, you would have a fantastic view of the surrounding area from the hill.

Art: Blackburn Railway Station

As part of the £5.6 million redevelopment of Blackburn Railway Station back in 2001, a piece of artwork was commissioned by Railwork Plc.

The faces of people associated with Blackburn were laser-cut into 12 stainless steel panels and subsequently displayed on Platform 4. Some of the faces included are Jack Walker (businessman), Barbara Castle (politician) and also Ghandi, as he famously visited the area back in the 1930s. Historic pictures of mill workers and local people are also included in the montage to reflect the town’s industrial past.

The artwork, which is 24 metres long and 2 metres high, took twelve months to complete and was made Scartworks Ltd.

A closer look at one of the panels. The artwork becomes more effective the further back you stand. Be careful not to fall off the platform, though!

If you’re ever passing through Blackburn station, make sure to look out for this piece as it is clearly visible from all platforms.

Update: Preston City Post

I have gone back and added a photograph from the very impressive Harris Museum and Art Gallery, and giving a more in depth account of what is inside the museum. I hope it sounds interesting enough for you to visit if you ever find yourself in Preston!

Art: Angel of the North

On our way to Durham, we decided to stop and have a look at one of the most famous landmarks in the north of England.

The Angel of the North is a sculpture by the artist Antony Gormley. The sculpture, which is made out of steel, is 20 metres (66 ft) with a wing span of 54 metres (177 ft). The Angel stands overlooking the A1 and A167 roads on the outskirts of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

When we first when to visit the Angel it was shrouded in mist, giving the area an eerie atmosphere.

According to Gormley, there are three reasons why an angel is significant:

1. To signify that beneath the spot where the Angel stands, coal miners had worked for 200 years.
2. To grasp the transition from an industrial to and information age.
3. To serve as a focus for our evolving hopes and fears.

Although the weather wasn’t perfect the fog did frame the Angel beautifully, and we couldn’t help but gaze upon it with awe.

A side view of the Angel. You can just about make out the slight contours of its face.

The Angel was built at Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd using Corten weather resistant steel. It was built to withstand winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h) and has concrete foundations weighing 600 tonnes which run 21 metres (70 ft) below the Angel, anchoring it to the rock.

The sculpture was built in three parts and brought to it’s roadside home to be constructed there. Each wing weighs 50 tonnes each and the body weighs 100 tonnes. It took 4 years to build and cost £800,000.

On our way back from Durham we decided to stop by the Angel again, and thankfully the weather had picked up. The sun was shining and we could see the Angel in all its glory.

At first the Angel caused much controversy, but is now considered a landmark for North East England. It is often used in television and film to represent Tyneside, and is now a much loved icon of the North.

Art: The Quantum Leap

Tying in with our trip to Shrewsbury yesterday, we came across an abstract sculpture as you walk along the banks of the River Severn.

‘The Quantum Leap’ is situated in Mardol Quay Gardens as the main focus of a ‘Geo-Garden’. It was unveiled in 2009 to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin by a great-great-grandson of Darwin, Randal Keynes. The sculpture also celebrates the geological diversity of Shropshire as the county contains many different types of rock, the oldest rock being 700 million years old.

It was designed by the architectural firm Pearce & Lal, who are based in Sutton Coldfield, and is said to represent DNA, a backbone, or possibly dinosaur bones. In local media it has been nicknamed ‘The Slinky’, often in a negative sense.

The sculpture is 12 metres (40 ft) tall, 17.5 metres (57 ft) long and made out of concrete. The blades of the structure were made by the Ely based firm, Histon Concrete Products. Excluding it’s foundations, the artwork weighs a whopping 113 tonnes. 

The final cost of the sculpture exceeded £1 million, over £200,000 more than the Angel of the North.