Sculpture trail to open

From the archive, first published Monday 5th Mar 2007.

A new sculpture trail around the Bolton Abbey Estate, near Skipton, will be opened by the Duke of Devonshire later this month.

The exhibition will be open daily until Sunday, October 28, and features up to 17 pieces of sculpture by seven artists all living and working in Yorkshire.

Pieces include Rocky, a life-size willow sculpture of a gun dog, a 5ft high barcode, Dancing Hands, a highly polished piece of Yorkshire Limestone that appears to sway and move, and a 9ft copper heron.

The circular route along the bank of the River Wharfe is suitable for pushchairs.

The trail passes the famous Strid, where the water is forced through a narrow gorge, across the aqueduct and returns on the opposite bank to the Cavendish Pavilion and gift shop.

Moira Smith, visitor manager at Bolton Abbey, said: "Strid Wood is a beautiful place to visit, and arguably the perfect setting for a sculpture exhibition."

Visitors will be given a leaflet illustrating the three and a half mile route and showing the location of each piece. It will include information about the artist and each sculpture. The trail opens on Monday, March 19.

Bolton Abbey is the Yorkshire estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Covering 30,000 acres, it draws more than 500,000 visitors a year and is open every day.