School Green Sculpture

Sitting in a small recess opposite the church of St Peter and St Paul in Longhoughton in Northumberland you can find the School Green Sculpture designed by artist and sculptor Gilbert Ward.

This relatively modern piece sits on the site of an ancient village cross. You'd be forgiven if at first glance you'd have thought this a relic from older times, perhaps broken in conflict or erected from a previous historic site, but the sculpture is actually a modern piece erected in 2004 which reflects the ancient Celtic history of the village and intertwines patterns from nature and spirituality.

We spotted it after passing many times but stopped for a proper look. It's amazing how many things you think you know, but in reality, you've just glanced at. It's always worth stopping to have a proper chance to take it all in.

Coming from Yorkshire, and having taught sculpture at Northumbria University, Ward lived from 1935 to 2020 and spent his later life in the tiny village of Fourstones near Hexham.

The School Green Sculpture, erected in 2004 by Longhoughton Parish Council was sponsored by Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Arts Council England.

What sprung out was the beautiful textural qualities of the carving in red Doddington sandstone. I almost wanted to reach out and have a little touch; the rough hewn sides, chiselled like a thick crust, and the smooth entwined sides, almost like a hefty fishing rope.

It sits on the site of a pilgrimage route between The Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Durham and is intentionally broken at the top, perhaps to give the illusion of age, or perhaps as in the symbolism of graves, of a life cut short.

Ward has been an artist in residence at many North East venues like Alnwick Gardens, Gateshead Riverside Park, Saltwell Park and Cheeseburn. Anyone familiar with his work will notice a repetition in his distinctive way marker and standing stone style sculptures. I love them. His work responds to the landscape. Often sculpting on site, Ward worked in natural substances like wood and stone and enjoyed the repetition and symmetry found in nature.

Gilbert Ward designed many pieces around the North East.

There's a beautiful standing stone on the Bowes Railway Path. There are pieces reflecting the shipbuilding heritage at Wearfield in Sunderland, and abstract stone pieces marking the sources of both the North and the South Tyne in Kielder and Tyne Head Fell just South of Garagill.

I love Ward's optimism about his work. In a 2017 interview, he said “Culture always binds people together and it's the best way to maintain a peaceful relationship with each other.” He said “Art can cross any borders. A good thing is we all learn from one another. A small number of people working very hard can change the way the whole world thinks, especially in the arts, and it's a privilege to be part of that.”

There's nothing to disagree with there. A happy find indeed.