Carlisle City Council has appointed an exciting Cumbrian artist to provide the finishing touches to a £840,000 revamp of the city’s Historic Quarter.

Hannah Stewart, based in Armathwaite, beat off stiff competition to win the commission to design artwork for nine stone benches as part of the Castle Street improvement scheme, which started in June. The black granite benches will be installed in autumn.

The scheme, which was given the go-ahead by Cumbria County Council’s Local Committee for Carlisle in January, will help attract increased investment into the city as part of a package of projects for the area. As well as becoming much more pedestrian friendly, the southern half of Castle Street will still allow through-traffic.

Hannah Stewart, of Freerange Artists, said:

“I’m really looking forward to working on this project. It will look fantastic when it’s done, and it’s great to be able to contribute to the Historic Quarter and the city with this enduring piece of work.”

The bench designs will be based on defining lines that have influenced Carlisle as a city and shaped its community. The line of Hadrian’s Wall will be used, as will the River Eden and the railways – capturing Carlisle’s unique history and border location as well as its landscape. The artist will work with the public over the coming weeks to explore responses to these themes. Hannah added:

“I’m excited to hear about people’s experience of these three influences on our city. I’ll be hosting community workshops and collecting impressions over the coming weeks.”

Hannah, from Armathwaite, will be holding two open workshops on Saturday, 21 August at Carlisle Railway station, between 10am and 1pm, followed by Tullie House, between 2pm and 4pm.

For people who can’t attend, there are lots of other ways to have your say. Residents can also send postcards with experiences, anecdotes and sketches to: Hannah Stewart, Westwalls Studios, Carlisle Enterprise Centre, James Street, Carlisle, CA2 5BB.

Carlisle City Council in partnership with Cumbria County Council is funding the £840,000 Castle Street scheme and is project managing the improvement works.

Castle Street will be one-way southbound, while Fisher Street becomes two-way between Market Street and Spinner’s yard. Existing granite kerbs will be refurbished and the road repaved with whinstone blocks.

Work is being phased to minimise disruption, with the entire scheme to be completed by October.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

• The art commission costs less than 1% of the overall cost of the Castle Street revamp. This reflects the ‘Percent for Art’ policy in the Council’s Local Plan, which asks developers to use a percentage of development costs to enhance their projects through publically accessible artwork’.