<< Our Photo Pages >> High Head Sculpture Valley Stone Circle - Modern Stone Circle etc in England in Cumbria
Submitted by Charles_Paxton on Saturday, 14 December 2013 Page Views: 11870
Modern SitesSite Name: High Head Sculpture Valley Stone Circle Alternative Name: High Head Stone CircleCountry: England County: Cumbria Type: Modern Stone Circle etc
Nearest Town: Carlisle Nearest Village: Gaitsgill
Map Ref: NY405435
Latitude: 54.782859N Longitude: 2.926665W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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External Links:
Modern Stone Circle in Cumbria. Mists shroud the ancient stones linking a distant, mysterious past with modern-day Cumbria. Yet, the 13 stones that make up the High Head stone circle at Ivegill were only installed in 2006 by Penrith sculptor Brian Cowper. The circle has been aligned with the winter and summer solstice and reflects the surrounding landscape.
Article from December 2006.
"There are a lot of myths surrounding standing stones," Brian says.
"The Victorians spread rumours that druids were involved in their building, but we know the stones have been in place for thousands of years."
High Head stone circle is part of the High Head Sculpture Valley, set up by farmer and sculptor Jonathan Stamper and his wife Bernadette, at their working dairy farm in Ivegill.
The rushing waters of the nearby River Ive provide a pleasant, contemplative backdrop to a natural landscape that includes otters, kingfishers, herons and dippers.
The wooded valley is dotted with sculptures, many of which were produced in Jonathan’s on-site workshop.
His work, which focuses on religious and figurative sculpture, is influenced by the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth and Josefina de Vasconcellas.
Since it opened, the sculpture valley has been extremely popular and, in an era when interest in our past seems to have grown markedly, the new exhibit is sure to attract attention.
High Head stone circle marks the rising and setting of the major southern lunar standstill – an event of importance to stone circle architects which occurred in the summer and will not be replicated for 18 years.
Our ancient forefathers attached great importance to tracking and plotting the movements of the stars, sun and moon – a factor that was believed to be of religious significance and vital at harvest time.
Brian studied as a sculptor at Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent, and in Cardiff and Manchester before returning to his native Cumbria, while working as a lecturer at St Martin’s College in Lancaster.
The circle was designed earlier in the year, but Brian was involved in discussions with Jonathan for several years beforehand.
"We talked about it five or six years ago and as Jonathan has developed High Head Sculpture Valley we decided this would be a celebration," he says.
Machinery was used to manoeuvre the stones, which were hewn from local sandstone and measure between one and two-metres each, into place over three days.
Brian prefers not to draw comparisons with Stonehenge. [Halleluja! - Meg P Ed]
"This is very different. Jonathan approached me to produce something individual that would mark events personal to him," he says.
Brian has worked on other stone circle projects, including one installation in Yorkshire which took place over the course of a year, without using machinery, to reflect the changing of the seasons.
High Head Sculpture Valley has sculptures and an art gallery installed in a natural woodland valley.
It is open every day except Wednesday from 10.30am to 5pm and offers refreshments, a gallery and shop and a dairy farm for youngsters to view.
Visit www.highheadsculpturevalley.co.uk for further information.
Source: Cumberland News
Note: Last chance to visit the High Head Sculpture Valley, which includes this lovely modern circle - it closes on Saturday 21st December
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