A
Slice of Neroche arrives! |
Ever
wondered what lies beneath your feet when visiting Staple Hill?
Take a look around the Easy
Access Trail and you'll discover an exciting new geology sculpture
called’ A Slice of Neroche’. The new sculpture provides
a tactile model of the topography and land form of the Blackdown
Hills scarp slope, highlighting the underlying geology in a simple,
non-technical way suitable for all audiences.
Where
it is: www.nerochescheme.org/media/uploadedFiles/S.Hill_Welcome_Panel_6th_Edit.pdf
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TThe
artist involved was sculptor Rob Jakes, and his raw material was
an oak tree harvested locally from Staple Park Wood, only 1km
from the viewpoint and was milled to size by a steam saw at the
Blackdown Hills Woodfair www.woodbiz.co.uk
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Installation
day – putting the jigsaw together
-photo
Hugh (left) and Rob (right) on installation day.
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On
Thursday 11th November the sculpture, which came in 35 numbered
pieces was assembled on site by Rob. Despite the windy and wet
weather the sculpture was finished before dusk. A team of people
helped Rob to install the piece including the Neroche Apprentices,
Sarah Douglas from Red Kite Environment and Carrie Mason who managed
the project for Neroche. The Neroche Scheme would like to thank
all those who helped with the sculpture especially, Hugh Prudden,
a local geology expert, who provided invaluable geological advice
for the piece. Hugh spoke of the slice:
‘The sculpture aims to portray the
rock formations and landscape of Staple Hill on the northern edge
of the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. The Blackdown Plateau, the
escarpment with a landslide and marshy vale are shown on the top
surface. The sides of the block summarise, in simplified terms,
the underlying strata. Thus landscape and geology come nicely
together. Visitors are enabled to read and understand the terrain
set out
before them. The Somerset Geology Group was pleased to cooperate
in the project as one of their aims is to promote an awareness
and understanding of the Somerset’s outstanding geodiversity.’
http://geologywestcountry.blogspot.com/2010/11/somerset-geological-sculpture.html
To find out more about the geology of the local area please contact
the Neroche office for a copy of Hugh’s book called “Geology
and Landscape of Taunton Deane” (2001)
A film of the project is currently being produced by by Justin
Owen and an article by Nick Gibbs can be read in ‘Living
Woods’ magazine issue No.14 www.living-woods.com
Tel: 01823 680846 Email: info@nerochescheme.org
(copyright)
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