An Icarean sculpture seems like a good idea!
Aberdare was bathed in some sun today and the forecast remains good for the rest of the week.
We have added photos of Tom Harvey’s Fall of Icarus to the Gallery.
Sculpted in Indian Cedar and measuring 9′ tall, the sculpture forms part of the Cwmaman Sculpture Trail and is located near St Joseph’s Church, Cwmaman.
It is a pleasure to be able to publish photos of local sculptures. The Cwmaman Sculpture Trail offers a very pleasant walk in a beautiful nook of the Valley reclaimed from former industrial......
This wooden character caught our eye… always a good start.
It is a wooden sculpture of St Dogmael in St Dogmaels about a mile west of Cardigan.
The sculpture is by John Clarke and dates from 2002, commissioned to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is located near the lower end of St Dogmaels’s Abbey.
Watch your step. There is a duck pond adjacent to the sculpture!
St Dogmaels village has lots to offer the photographer/tourist. According to Dyfed Archaeological Trust it is “a very distinctive historic landscape character“.
Enjoy the Photos in the Gallery......
As it is National Whale & Dolphin Watch Week 2008 we thought now is a good time to publish a photo of a Leaping Dolphin sculpture!
Thus we have uploaded photos of the Leaping Dolphin wooden sculpture at Aberporth village, near Cardigan.
In the Gallery in the S + M section here.
For more information on whale and dolphin spotting, take a peek at the Sea Watch Foundation website.
Postscript : One of the most depressing sights of the summer is the sight of people putting their ugly oily machines in the sea so that they can race about on show creating a lot of noise. The pollution caused by these useless toys threatens the natural habitat of many species, not just the bottlenose dolphins....
We have sailed in the frothy, bubbly blogging seas for too long without any MAPS.
Everything changes this weekened.
Aberdare Blog gives birth to a wee cartographical offering…
The S & M Map of Wales lists all our photos of Sculptures and Monuments from across......
Mario Rutelli’s War Memorial at Aberystwyth is the most spectacular Welsh war memorial.
There is a collection of photos of the Memorial in the Gallery. Judge with your own eyes, or better still visit it yourself.
Who was the model ? Answers on a postcard if you know, please.
Welsh historian Gwyn Williams described it vividly : “I know people who still go round the point on which it stands to view once more what is thought to be the finest backside in Cardiganshire“. (’The Land Remembers’, Futura, London 1977).
Spot on Mr......
Honestly Guv, we’re not militarist, war-loving type people… we are latter day peaceniks. The snaps are just because we love bronze sculptures. Look there, we have Henry Richard and Keir Hardie, both pacifists.
Thus our conscience does battle with the fact we spend much of our blogging time discussing imagery of war sculptures and memorials.
Photos of Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart are now available in the Gallery.
The sculpture is situated in Gorsedd Gardens, opposite the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff.
The sculptor was Sir William Goscombe......
A little over two hundred years ago saw the first steam locomotive haul a load on rails. Cornish Engineer Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive ran with five wagons for five miles along the rail tramroad, from Penydarren to Navigation, Abercynon, with 70 men and 10 tons of iron on board. It was a historic journey.
What were the thoughts of the people who witnessed this noisy iron monster ?
Did they feel in awe of this spectacte and terrified by the sight ?
The Cambrian Newspaper commented on Trevithick’s terrific invention thus : “It is not doubted but that the number of horses in the kingdom will be very considerably reduced, and the machine, in the hands of the present proprietors, will be made use of in a thousand instances never yet thought of for an......
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Cardiff recognised the contribution of David Lloyd George nearly fifty years ago with a prominent statue erected in Gorsedd Gardens, opposite the National Museum of Wales. It has taken London a lot longer to pay tribute. Today at 2pm a statue of David Lloyd George is being unveiled in Parliament Square.
The Lloyd George Society explains the background : “in Parliament Square there is no memorial to Lloyd George there, nor in any other street or square in London. Hence the David Lloyd George Statue Appeal, a charitable trust, was set up to rectify this situation. HRH The Prince of Wales became royal patron and Professor Glynn Williams was chosen as sculptor by a panel of advisers under the chairmanship of Lord Heseltine.”
Commenting on the unveiling of the statue of David...
This statue is of David Lloyd George (1863-1945) : Liberal politician. MP for Caernarfon 1890-1945. Chancellor of the Exchequer 1908-15. Prime Minister 1916-22.
It is located at Gorsedd Gardens opposite the National Museum of Wales.
The statue was unveiled on 8th July 1960. Both fists are clenched and the right arm is outstretched. The posture is pugnacious. If Lloyd George was wearing shorts and small shirt, you would mistake him for a Welsh boxer.
The statue was designed by Michael Rizzello (1926-2004). There is a series of photographs detailing the process of making this Lloyd George statue on the Michael Rizzello website, at http://www.michaelrizzello.com/lloyd/
For a full set of photographs of Lloyd George at Gorsedd Gardens please visit the......
Girl by Robert Thomas, looking lonely in an autumn Gorsedd Gardens in Cardiff this week.
There is a full set of photographs of the Girl in the Gallery.
The sculptor Robert Thomas (1926-1999) is a familiar part of Central Cardiff. He has four sculptures on permanent display in Cardiff Queen Street : the Nye Bevan, Mother and Son, Family, and Miner.
Photographs of all five works by Robert Thomas are available in our......
Britain, Britain, Britain land of sculptures, too many of which depict a fascination for war, war, war.
And then in 2005 the Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn was unveiled in the heart of London.
She is situated in Trafalgar Square named after the 1805 naval battle during the Napoleonic wars.
For companions she has bronze statues of British generals and other members of the warrior aristocracy.
Along with Sir Edwin Landseer’s four couchant lions guarding Nelson’s Column.
Lapper is depicted naked and heavily pregnant.
The material used is Carraran marble, also famously used for Marble Arch, London.
The sculptor Marc Quinn writes eloquently about his work thus :
“At first glance it would seem that there are few if any public sculptures of people with disabilities....
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So what does Lampeter War Memorial have in common with the Valleys town of Aberdare ? There is a clue in the photograph. The memorial was sculpted by the eminent Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John.
Goscombe John designed the Lampeter War Memorial and it was unveiled in 1921. A year earlier his statue of the conductor Griffith Rhys Jones - known as ‘Caradog’ - was unveiled in Victoria Square Aberdare.
Click here for a full set of photographs on Lampeter War Memorial
Goscombe John designed a number of war memorials situated in Wales, including one at Penarth, Llandaff, and Carmarthen (photos published on Aberdare Blog previously here).
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Sculptor Robert Thomas has the privilege of having 4 of his works in Cardiff Queen Street, including The Miner.
Why are there so very few monuments to miners in places like the Valleys where mining shaped a whole community ?
Other places in Wales do it.
David Annand’s ‘The Arc - y Bwa’ sculpture in the middle of Wrexham is a worthy reminder of Wrexham’s industrial heritage.
What has Aberdare got ? Some old rusty pit winding gear at places like Cwmdare (Nant y Melyn) and Mountain Ash (Deep Duffryn).
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Merthyr Tydfil has a wealth of fine public monuments and sculptures.
Enough to keep a tourist happy for a fortnight’s holiday.
This ornamental fountain and canopy was unveiled in 1906. It is situated south of the St Tydfil’s churchyard.
According to the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association : “The fountain was inaugurated in 1906 to mark the granting of the town’s charter. It remained in position until 1966 when it was removed as part of a road improvement scheme. By this time the original drinking troughs had been removed and the canopy needed restoration. It was relocated in 1966 within the Caedraw redevelopment area outside St. Tydfil’s Church although the whereabouts of the original drinking...
Carmarthen County War Memorial has a distinct link with the Caradog statue in Victoria Square, Aberdare.
Both were sculpted by William Goscombe John.
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Photos of the Henry Richard monument in the main town square in Tregaron. The monument depicts Richard standing in frock coat, poised as if about to speak. Holding sheaf of papers headed PEACE in right hand. Left arm flexed with hand holding ‘pince-nez’. Pedestal with moulded cornice and plinth.
The monument was unveiled on 18 August 1893. There is a photo of this occasion on the Gathering the Jewels (GtJ) project website - click here.
According to the GtJ project : “Henry Richard (1812-88) was born in Tregaron, Cardiganshire. He was a Nonconformist minister in London before being elected the Liberal Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil in 1868. He was known as ‘The Apostle of Peace’ in recognition of his work with the Peace Society. He was appointed...
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They certainly built these things to last…
Some photos of Carreg Coetan in Newport, Pembrokeshire.
Carreg Coetan is a Neolithic burial chamber.
It consists of four uprights, only two of which support the precariously balanced capstone.
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A comprehensive set of photos of the Eddie Thomas sculpture uploaded to the gallery.
The sculpture is situated in Bethesda Gardens, opposite Merthyr Council Offices.
The plaques either side of the plinth read: “Eddie Thomas MBE. Mayor, Councillor and Freeman of Merthyr Tydfil. Born 27th July 1925 at Colliers Row. Died 2nd June 1997. Unveiled by Lord Brooks of Tremorfa 4 June 2000″
And “British, Empire and Welterweight Champion. Eddie also managed British and European Champions and two World Champions. Admired and loved by the community he served. He never forgot his humble beginnings. His charismatic personality naturally made him the ideal ambassador for Merthyr Tydfil. ‘Bachgen bach o Colliers Row’”
Merthyr Tydfil has a rich boxing...
Without her nose she looks older than 102 years old!
A sculpture at Aberdare Park commissioned by Isaac George.
A few photos of Miss Industry 1905 in the Gallery.
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A life-sized statue of a Welsh Cob stallion was erected in Aberaeron in 2005. The sculptor was David Mayer. It was donated to the town by the Aberaeron Festival of Welsh Ponies and Cobs to denote the area as Welsh cob country.
A full set of photos available in the S & M section of the Gallery.
Where are the statues in Aberdare or other Valley towns to denote the fact that this was coal country ?
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Old Nosey dominates the central square in the town of Brecon in Powys.
There is now a pile of photographs of the Wellington statue in Brecon in the Gallery.
The phrase “publish and be damned” is attributed to Wellington in response to a threat of blackmail.
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A peak at the Keir Hardie bust in Merthyr Civic Centre (Council Offices) today.
The rust from iron inserts has coloured the eyes and gives the sculpture a spooky aura.
Link to photos of Keir Hardie bust
http://www.aberdareblog.co.uk/photographs/sculptures-and-monuments/keir-hardie-bust-merthyr-civic-centre/
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Photos of ‘The Family’ a sculpture by the late Robert Thomas available in the Gallery.
http://www.aberdareblog.co.uk/photographs/sculptures-and-monuments/the-family-robert-thomas/
There are 4 Robert Thomas sculptures in Cardiff Queen Street : (1) Nye Bevan statue; (2) the Family; (3) a Miner; and (4) Mother and Son.
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Percy Bysshe Shelley’s stay in the Elan Valley in 1811 and 1812 is commemorated by a sculpture in the grounds of the Elan Valley visitor centre.
Shelley stayed at Cwm Elan house for one of his stays at Elan Valley. There is a photo of this house in the Gathering the Jewels project, at http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/item1/19732
According to Powys Council’s website : “The drowned valleys of the rivers Elan and Claerwen each contained a large and historic country house linked with the lyric poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The estate of Cwm Elan, containing the Elan Valley mansion, was purchased in 1792 by Thomas Grove. It was described then as “10,000 worthless acres, which he is now converting into a paradise.” A local touring guide published in 1892, before the start...
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This blog is proud to be full of ‘Welsh bull’.
Click the photo for more prime Welsh bull.
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Photographs of The Arc sculpture by David Annand now available in the gallery.
http://www.aberdareblog.co.uk/photographs/sculptures-and-monuments/the-arc-bwa-sculpture/
Annand depicts two workers in an almost playful pose. It’s a very unusual composition and hard to ignore in the centre of Wrexham main shopping district.
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Simon Hedger sculpture at the Welsh Game Fair 2007
Simon Hedger had a wonderful sculpture of a mermaid-like figure on display at the Welsh Game Fair this year. The Welsh Game Fair is an annual event held at Gelli Aur, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire.
He started his career as a sculptor at the 1996 National Eisteddfod held at Llandeilo....
Sculpting wood with a chainsaw at the Welsh Game Fair....
Shepherd Sculpture at Royal Welsh Showground
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