Keir Smith was one of the first sculptors to be invited to Grizedale, way back in 1979. He died in 2007 aged 57, after suffering from cancer, but he remained dedicated to art until the very end. He was keen on drawing and admitted he would regularly take his sketchbook down to the banks of the Thames at 4am, when the discomfort from his chemotherapy sessions was keeping him awake. In 2009, his wife donated some of his earlier work to the forest and consequently, 'Last Rays Of An English Rose' was sited halfway up the path to the top of High Bowkerstead.

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In a similar fashion to his piece 'Iron Road' in the Forest of Dean, this is a section of railway track with various items carved into the sleepers. Smith provided an evocative description of the sculpture:

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"A small boat drifts empty and powerless on a rough sea, a wave breaks out over the neck of a shattered oar, a sodden book, the pathetic survivor of some disaster floats on the swell. To close the sequence, a stone built bridge offers safe passage in a precarious world."

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Also by this artist:

The Realm Of Taurus 1979

Seven Stones Before The Old Man 1982

A Flower In Flower 2014