Composers Baton

I know its not quite like a baton, but it is a sort of hairy furry version. No I'm not going mad! I just like how the grass looked next to the fountain and statue of Cheltenham born composer Holst. That is it really. I know my posts seem to be getting shorter and shorter these days but I'm getting to the point of just wanting to post a photo and not think of something to say. Anyway, enjoy the photo.

Touching Souls

Touching Souls is the name of this sculpture at the front of Tewkesbury Abbey. It is an exact replica of the same sculpture in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Created by sculptor Mico Kaufman, its is cast in bronze and shows four children - native-American, European-American, African-America and Asian-American, sitting on the ground, legs outstretched, with the soles of their shoes touching. It is one of the many links that bind the two Tewkesburys. Has anyone out there seen the original in the USA?

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment while I've been otherwise engaged. Normal service has now resumed!

The Weathered Man

Have you ever seen a drain cover like this before?! Well, it is a big drain! This huge underground pipe is topped off with this large concrete cap and, to make it look less ugly, it has some art on the top. This is The Weathered Man by artist James Gould. The installation was commissioned by the Environment Agency. It has been in Sandford Park for as long as I can remember, although I can't find anything about it or the artist on the web. This part of the park is a large open space and backs onto Cheltenham General Hospital and the Lido open air swimming pool. In the photo you can just see the formal park on the other side of the road. This part of the park has fountains, flower beds and another piece of art. In last summers floods this area of Cheltenham was flooded quite badly. You would have thought this drain would have swallowed up all that water!

Hill Top Church

On top of Chosen Hill (the one with the bluebells I showed yesterday) sits St Bartholomew's Church. This is the original Parish church of Churchdown and dates from the Norman era, thought to have been built in 1175. It's believed that the origins of the site date back much earlier than this, with the hill top site being used as a military camp in the Bronze Age. Recently the area around the church has undergone some transformation, with a new retaining wall built to stop the church slipping down the steep side of the hill and the over grown Fir trees removed to reveal the church to the villages below. The church has a cross on top of it that is lit at night and can be seen for miles around. Although a new Parish church (St Andrew's) was built in the village in the early 1900's (due to St Bart's not being easily accessible) the ancient building is still used for Sunday services, weddings, funerals and bell ringing! The church is a Grade 1 listed building and must hold open days throughout the year. When the next one comes I'm going to take a visit to check out the inside of this lovely little church.

Honouring Holst

Cheltenham has finally honoured one of its most famous sons, Gustav Holst. Last Friday this bronze statue of the composer was unveiled in Imperial Gardens. Holst was born in Cheltenham in 1874 and spent his formative years here, before returning in the 1920's and staying until his death in 1934. The composer is most famous for The Planets Suite, which he conducted in Cheltenham Town Hall in 1927.

The statue, created by Anthony Stones, stands on a plinth surrounded by a fountain. On the octagonal plinth are 7 bronze plates each with a depiction of the Planets that inspired the famous Suite. The statue cost £50,000, with £45,000 being paid from the donation left in the Will of Elizabeth Hamond. The rest was paid for by the Borough Council and fundraising. For more on Holst, the sculptor and a video of the unveiling check out http://www.cheltenhamcivicsociety.org.uk/Gustav%20Holst.htm

Having A Ball

I have just discovered artist Giles Penny while trying to find the creator of this bronze sculpture, Man With Ball, and I really like his style. Giles Penny was born in 1962 in Dorchester, Dorset and studied at various Art Colleges between 1978 and 1984. His website says "His fondest way of working is in relief, which he believes is half way between sculpture and drawing." and his work is, more often than not, in bronze. His drawings, sculpture and relief work all have a humorous and friendly nature, and is accessible to none arty types, like me. The work shown is about 8 feet tall and stands in the entrance to housing development Sheldons Court (off of Winchcombe Street), it was commissioned by Crest Homes in 2000. Giles Penny's work has been used in many different locations including many pieces at the Bodyshop Headquarters, the Atrium Garden at the BBC and at Canary Wharf London.

Check out more of Giles Penny's work here http://www.gilespenny.co.uk/Large20%Sculpture.htm

Antarctic Explorer

Doctor Edward Wilson was the Cheltenham born explorer and is commemorated with this statue, in the Long Garden in front of the Municipal Offices. He was born in Cheltenham on 23rd July 1872 and from a young age showed an interest in natural history. He studied at Cambridge University for a degree in Zoology, gained in 1894, and then qualified in medicine, also at Cambridge, in 1900. After working abroad he took part in several Arctic explorations, writing up his findings and contributing watercolour illustrations to other peoples works. In 1910 he joined the famous Captain Scott on his National Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole, but tragically both men died in March 1912 on the return journey.

News of Wilsons death reached Cheltenham in February 1913 and a fund was set up to create a memorial to the explorer. The original plan was for two plaques to be hung in the Town Hall but Wilsons widow suggested that as Edward loved the outdoors a more suitable memorial should be erected. The bronze statue shown was modelled by Scotts widow and was unveiled on 9th July 1914 by Arctic explorer Sir Clarence Markham. A display of Wilsons Arctic clothing and kit, as well as some of his artwork, can be found at the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum.

The inscription on the plinth of the statue reads - "He died as he lived, A brave true man. The best of comrades and the staunchest of friends."

Theme And Variations

I'm not sure how many Cheltonians have ever looked up and seen this piece of art, or more so that it was created by renowned British artist Barbara Hepworth (1903-75). The sculpture, Theme And Variations, is situated on the side of the former HQ of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society in Clarence Street. Built in the mid-1970's the curved building, which hides St Marys church behind, is now rented out as office space and has some shops at street level. The bronze sculpture was acquired by the Borough Council as part of the towns public art program. Hepworth is seen as one of the last centuries most influential abstract artists and in her time won many awards and accolades. In 1939 Hepworth moved to St Ives in Cornwall where she concentrated her efforts on larger pieces moving away from sculpting in wood and stone to her more recognisable medium, bronze. In the 1950's her work, along with that of her friend and fellow artist Henry Moore, became internationally recognised. Hepworth died tragically in a fire at her studio in St Ives. The studio is now a Museum celebrating her work.