Preston to Bamber Bridge Greenway
Entrance feature for the Penwortham end of the Greenway, artists Rosie Fenwick & Ben Maris, image by Helen Yates
History
Lancashire County Council’s REMADE team, funded by the Northwest Development Agency, constructed a new Greenway as part of their commitment to tackling the region’s derelict land problem. The greenway has been constructed along the formally disused railway line that formed part of the Bamber Bridge to Preston extension of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Constructed in 1848 the railway was dismantled in the 1960's. The greenway links Penwortham, Bamber Bridge and Preston City Centre and forms part of the National Cycle Network. An area bound by the former railway embankments is a statutory local nature reserve. This area of lowland hay meadow will be undergoing works to further improve the ecology and the wetland aspects of the site. The adjoining Bee Orchid site is a newly transplanted, improved area which features rare Bee Orchids.
Creative Engagement Programme
We were asked to deliver a creative programme to build awareness and a sense of ownership of the site amongst the local community. A series of artist led engagements explored both the historical and environmental heritage of the site through a series of creative education and consultation projects. Schools, volunteers and community groups took part in creative workshops and events, influencing and creating both temporary and permanent creative features for the site.
Projects
Whitehouse Junction Wetland Nature Reserve and Bee Orchid Project
Martin Maudsley and John Packer were commissioned to work on a creative project with local schools and the local community to explore the ecology of the two areas and create an outdoor education site and sculptural seating on the Bee Orchid site.
Martin led the first workshops with children from St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School and Middleforth C of E Primary School which took place in February 2011. The children explored the natural and historical elements of the site in a sensory walk. They were able to spot the newly emerging bee orchid buds and even 'meet' a tree which enabled the children to explore the characteristics of trees and discover more about different tree species growing in the area. On the way back to school, the group collected objects which they used to make drawings from and recall their stories from the site.
John and Martin worked together on the workshops that followed, where the group revisited the site and investigated changes from the last visit. John then worked with pupils from Lostock Hall Community High School & Arts College to develop designs for the sculptural seating. John's final designs were installed in March 2012. An activity leaflet for use with the sculptures is available to download here.
Sculpture and Gateway Pieces
Artists Rosie Fenwick and Ben Maris also worked with school pupils on the Tree Pod and the new entrance feature for the Penwortham end of the Greenway. Children from St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary created the designs featured in the metal disks incorporated into the sculptural entrance which has carved oak pillars and a wrought metal arch. Rosie, the children and their teachers were inspired by trips to the Nature Reserve, collecting rubbings and images. Rosie worked in class with the children using clay to form their ideas and create the plaques which are now cast in metal and embedded in the pillars. Since the piece was installed the children often take the time to hunt for their own designs on the way to school. Ben and Rosie were inspired by the local flora and used these images to carve the pillars at their studio in Altham and design the metal arch which was manufactured locally.
Ben and Rosie’s second piece is the Tree Pod sculpture which is installed along the main route into Preston and Avenham Park. The sculpture is most easily accessible from Factory Lane after the junction with Old Tram Road. Tree Pod was inspired through a series of design workshops with pupils from Lostock Hall Community High School & Arts College. Rosie took the young people through the process of designing a public art piece: from conception to final design submission. This gave the pupils a valuable insight into developing art work and gave Rosie plenty of ideas during the design phase. The pupils produced design sheets, sketch book work and clay models. Tree Pod is made up of five large, sawn logs, cut from two felled oak trees. The logs are carved and shaped and form a circular enclosure representative of a seed pod and the idea is that people stand inside the "pod" and look out through the gaps and windows to view the Greenway and the surrounding countryside from the viewing holes carved into the logs.
