The Grizedale Sculpture Index
The story of the Grizedale sculpture project really begins with the Local Government Act of 1972, the much-maligned rearranging of English county boundaries. While the general public were busy collecting angry signatures and lighting fires of protest in other parts of the country, Grizedale's Head Forester at the time, Bill Grant, suddenly found himself in charge of a Cumbrian forest instead of a Lancastrian one.
This shift took them from under the stewardship of the North West Arts Association and into the hands of Northern Arts, whose visual arts officer Peter Davies suggested the idea of an open-air sculpture exhibition to Grant.
The Grizedale Forest Sculpture Index is an unofficial attempt to catalogue what followed, namely; every sculpture to have been built or sited in Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, England (as well as a few that weren't).
Along with a description of each work (with pictures if possible), I've also added information about other elements of the forest, where relevant, in order to try and present a complete picture of Grizedale Forest,
including interesting geographical features and a bit of history as well. The best way to learn about the place, however, is to visit and I heartily recommend you do.
Much like a half-finished sculpture, this website is constantly under construction. Any photographs are my own unless stated otherwise, and while I've made every effort to make sure all information is correct, some falsehoods may have slipped through the net. Please get in touch through the 'Contact' section if you think I've got anything wrong. No sculptures were harmed in the making of this website.
Mike Kewley