Castle Street improvements
Granite benches due to be installed
(Date of issue: Wednesday, 11 May 2011)
Nine granite benches, commissioned as part of Castle Street
improvements works, will be installed this week.
Carlisle City Council appointed a 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. The black
granite benches will be installed today (Wednesday, 11 May).
Hannah Stewart, of Freerange Artists, said: “It’s great to be
able to contribute towards this development, the designs are very
contemporary but I feel they fit well within the historic quarter
and will have resonance with a lot of people. With any sort of map
our immediate response is to find out where we are, and even with
just the one line present, folks can use their knowledge of the
area and its history to identify local landmarks.”
The bench designs are based on defining lines that have
influenced Carlisle as a city and shaped its community. The line of
Hadrian’s Wall has been used, as well as the River Eden and the
railways – capturing Carlisle’s unique history and border location
as well as its landscape. The artist worked with the public to
explore responses to these themes.
Hannah, from Armathwaite, held two open workshops at Carlisle
Railway station and Tullie House last August. Residents could also
send postcards with experiences, anecdotes and sketches to Hannah.
These were then re-composed in a manner that stylistically reflects
public mark-making that has occurred throughout history, and which
can be seen in Carlisle in the Jacobite etchings on the walls of
Carlisle Castle, the scratching on the walls of St Constantine's
cells, Wetheral and Lacys Cave near Armathwaite.
An exhibition of associated artwork and prints will be held in
Hoopers from this Friday (13 May). Limited edition prints are also
available directly from Freerange Artists or Talbot & Co.
Carlisle City Council funded the £840,000 Castle Street scheme
and project managed the improvement works. Cllr Ray Bloxham,
Portfolio holder for Local Environment and Chair of the selection
panel, said:
“I’m delighted that local people were able to be involved in
shaping this public artwork, which will be enjoyed by thousands. As
well as the creative new seating, the scheme incorporates wider
Lazonby-sandstone pavements and illuminated trees. Castle Street is
now much more pedestrian-friendly.”
