9 UK outdoor sculpture trails to explore this summer
We’ve rounded up the best places to soak up art in the great outdoors. Fickle British weather notwithstanding, these are the sculpture trails we think are worth donning sturdy boots for (and a raincoat, perhaps).
Jupiter Artland
Location: Wilkieston, Edinburgh
Set over 100 acres of meadow and woodland, Jupiter Artland is home to 35 site-specific sculptures in addition to a seasonal programme of exhibitions and events. Among the permanent commissions is a colourful swimming pool installation by artist Joana Vasconcelos (see Crafts’ issue 279 for more), comprising some 11,366 hand-painted and glazed tiles crafted using traditional methods in a 100-year-old factory in her native Portugal.
Tree Hug, by Monsieur Plant. Courtesy: Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust Cathedral, by Kevin Atherton. Courtesy: DeFacto, via Wikimedia Commons
Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust
Location: Coleford, Gloucestershire
First installed in 1986, a hanging stained glass window by Manx artist Kevin Atherton is the most Instagrammed artwork at this sculpture trail in Beechenhurst Lodge. Nearly three dozen works have been commissioned throughout the trust’s 35-year-long history, though some have since been decommissioned or returned to the forest floor. A new route that is shorter, more accessible and family-orientated now complements the existing sculpture trail.
The Whitegold Project
Location: St Austell, Cornwall
This urban ceramic art trail aims to fire up the fortunes of post-industrial St Austell in Cornwall through a plethora of public artworks dotted around the town, commissioned from both local makers and those further afield. Katie Treggiden took a tour inside the Place issue of Crafts magazine. While you're there, check out our travel guide to discover more must-see Cornish craft sites.
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens
Location: Penzance, Cornwall
Perched in a sheltered valley overlooking the Cornish tidal island of St Michael’s Mount, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens features an ever-evolving arts programme set against a backdrop of large-scale exotic and sub-tropical planting. Highlights include David Nash’s charred oak sculptures, which the artist has specifically sited to mirror the mature oak woodland and bluebells in season, and Mat Chivers’ hand-carved work in stone that combines an organic, cloud-like form with a crystalline structure reminiscent of digital processes.
Colony, by Halima Cassell, handcarved concrete. Courtesy: Glyndebourne Primavera, by Halima Cassell, 2021, handcarved Carrara marble on an Indian sandstone base. Photo: Ben McKee. Courtesy: Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Location: Lewes, East Sussex
The East Sussex country house, which each summer plays host to the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival of opera, also curates year-round exhibitions of contemporary art. These include site-specific sculptures in its lush gardens – from temporary installations, to a number of permanent sculptures. Seen here are works by Crafts issue 290's cover star Halima Cassell, whose hand-carved pieces graced its grounds in 2021.
Grizedale Sculpture
Location: Ambleside, Cumbria
Since its launch in 1977, artists the world over have been creating works for the UK’s first forest for sculpture. The most recent additions to this 10-square-mile patch of natural woodland in the Lake District include an installation in copper and Yorkshire stone by Sadie Clayton, and Saad Qureshi’s Flight sculpture inspired by the wings of a dragonfly in their resting state.
Seven Drops, by Neil Wilkin, glass and stainless steel. Courtesy: The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden Fungi, by Helen Twigge-Molecey, handblown glass. Courtesy: The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden
The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden
Location: Ockley, Surrey
Each year, The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden exhibits around 200 pieces, largely by British artists. The intimate setting provides an especially rare opportunity to see delicate glass works in the wild, such as glassmaker Neil Wilkin’s Dew Drops and Helen Twigge-Molecey’s colourful handblown ‘fungi’.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Location: West Bretton, Wakefield
While Yorkshire Sculpture Park has its fair share of works by blockbuster artists, it’s an unexpected crop of installations with a craft bent that have caught our eye. These range from Marialuisa Tadei’s ethereal mosaic sculptures to Hemali Bhuta’s subtle interventions of bronze-cast beech tree roots. Elsewhere, South Korean artist Kimsooja’s towering conical sculpture references traditional forms of female labour and craft, such as sewing and weaving.
Optohedron, by Will Nash. Courtesy: Surrey Hills Arts House of Invisible Hands, by Walter Bailey. Courtesy: Surrey Hills Arts
Surrey Hills Arts
Location: across the North Downs
Stretching from Farnham in the west to Oxted in the east, this sprawling sculpture trail spans dense woodland to open hilltops and protected heathlands. Don’t know where to start? There are a handful of self-guided art walks that visitors can take, complete with insights from the artists.
