Exploring a landscape adorned with sculptures is a delightful experience. Below we highlight some of the most remarkable sculpture parks throughout Britain.
1. Compton Verney Sculpture Park, Warwickshire
Compton Verney in Warwickshire, known for being a fascinating regional art venue, has launched a sculpture park. Spread over 120 acres designed by Capability Brown, visitors can find artistic creations by eight modern and contemporary artists. Notable works include Nicholas Deshayes’ Fountains which appear to emerge like whimsical water spirits from their setting.
www.comptonverney.org.uk
2. Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, West Yorkshire
This is the largest park of its kind in Europe, showcasing both site-specific works and rotating exhibitions. Currently, it features Damien Hirst’s provocative The Virgin Mother, which reveals part of the anatomy of a pregnant figure.
www.ysp.org.uk
3. Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives, Cornwall
This museum and garden, overseen by Tate, presents an opportunity to delve into the work and legacy of Barbara Hepworth, one of the UK’s pioneering abstract sculptors.
www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/barbara-hepworth-museum-and-sculpture-garden
4. Forest of https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/barbara-hepworth-museum-and-sculpture-gardenDean Sculpture Trail, Coleford, Gloucestershire
Stretching almost five miles, this woodland trail hosts sculptures that both blend with nature and evoke otherworldly places, like Kevin Atherton’s stained-glass piece Cathedral from 1986, which dangles amidst the trees.
forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk
5. Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Norfolk
The 350-acre estate surrounding Norman Foster’s architecturally renowned art center is dotted with sculptures by various artists, including Henry Moore, Elisabeth Frink, and Antony Gormley, with Gormley’s iron figures, Another Time II and VIII, positioned atop the university buildings.
6. The Sculpture Park, Churt, Surrey
In this secluded part of Surrey, a visitor might initially expect a modest exhibit. However, the experience is likely to exceed expectations with a gallery-like collection of over 600 sculptures set along winding woodland paths, including lifelike bronze gorillas and reflective steel structures. The pieces are available for purchase, and visitors can easily spend hours exploring this immersive art environment.
