Cattle and sheep sculptures installed in Spalding
Saturday saw the unveiling of the cattle and sheep sculptures that have been keeping busy winter. A life sized Lincoln Red cow and bull as well as 7 Lincolnshire long wool sheep now stand proudly in the old cattle and sheep markets of the Lincolnshire town, celebrating the heritage and importance of these industries to the town.
The 6 white sheep are carved from Cadeby limestone and the small black one is carved in Kilkenny Limestone. All of the sheep represent the distinctive Lincolnshire Longwool breed. When I was first shortlisted for the project, I decided that I wanted to recreate the hustle and bustle of the busy sheep markets. I therefore decided that I would try and make as many sheep as the budget would allow. I wanted people to have to weave their way through them, maybe touching their little heads as they squeezed past.
The cattle are both Lincoln Reds. Last year I visited a local cattle farmer and I got to meet La Fontaine Mary and Walmer Talent. Mary is a very curious gentle 3 year old heifer with lovely big ears. Walmer is an enormous bull with great presence. It was the scale and enormity of the cattle that I wanted to capture with these carvings. The cattle are carved from blocks of red cove sandstone. These weighed over 6 tonnes each when they first arrived at my workshop and probably weigh around 3 tonnes each now.
The unveiling took place on Saturday with a healthy crowd of around 200 people attending the event. The sculptures were unveiled by MP Sir John Hayes while a folk band, children’s activities and market stalls were also organised for the event.
The sculptures appear to have been a huge success so many people sitting on the sheep and having their photographs with the cattle and taking selfies. Although it has been a long winter carving these out of the enormous blocks of stone, days like Saturday make it completely worthwhile. Hopefully the residents of Spalding will be sitting on the artworks and taking selfies with them for many many years to come.
