Yorkshire Sculpture Park

[FrazerHenderson]

Set within 500 acres of superb Yorkshire countryside but a stone's throw from Wakefield and Barnsley is Britain's first and largest sculpture park showing permanent and temporary exhibitions. The sculpture park actually resides within the Historic Park of Bretton Park. I know this is primarily a gardening forum so I'll try and keep to gardening subjects - though as gardening is also about aesthetics some sculptures may seek in!

Location: M1 junction 38 between Barnsley and Wakefield. Signposted.

Type: Parkand with lakes, wildlife reserves, meadows and formal gardens.

Facilities: Galleries, shop, restaurant and numerous kiosks. Free entry but car parking £4 all day.

Information: None on gardens but plenty of books on Richard Long, Andy Goldsworthy and other land artists.

Owners/funding: Local councils & Arts Council England.

Henderson rating: 2/5 for Parkland and Gardens. 4/5 for destination (if like me you like art/sculpture).

[David Nicholson]

It's a lovely place. I worked at Bretton Hall Teacher Training College for a spell in the '60's.

[FrazerHenderson]

and now some work by Alec Finlay (yes, son of Ian Hamilton Finlay) whose work I admire for its playfulness and invention (I've also be fortunate to publish some of his poetry).

These are mesostic poems, as Alec says:
"Labels of mesostic poems on the names of flora. A mesostic has a name-stem and word branches, and the poems reveal the plants' nature to us in different ways".

I think you'll enjoy this small selection...

[FrazerHenderson]

and some more shots ...though note the sculptures start to sneak in

[FrazerHenderson]

one of the great things about the park is that sheep roam as they would in a picturesque manner at any grand house during the golden era of the 18th and 19th centuries. Accordingly, I was well chuffed to get this atmospheric shot as the sheep blundered past to another viewing (it only lacked a shepherd).

And finally, the final shots.

For more see www.ysp.co.uk

Thanks for the indulgence.

[Gail]

Fascinating, thank you so much.  Love the poems and the tree seat.

[Maggi Young]

It seems a very long time since Ian had  a couple of pieces of sculpture in a travelling exhibition that spent some time at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park..... this may be because it was a long time ago! Early 1980s, probably!