OTHER EVENTS

12th - 26th October 2010

North Stainmore, Nr Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria. UK OS grid ref: NY 807 161

' Sentinel' is a landscape installation by artist Steve Messam in the North Pennines AONB to celebrate Wool Week. For two weeks, a historic field barn at the edge of the GeoPark wil be transformed with the fleece of 200 local Swaledale sheep. The small barn clings to the side of the steeply sloping field beside one of the last native woodlands in the North Pennines. The barn was originally a 'Hogg House' built as shelter for yearling sheep in the harsh northern winters. At the end of the 19th Century the Swaledale sheep was bred to withstand the extreme weather of these exposed hills and the Hogg Houses fell out of use. Sheep farming has been a staple of the uplands of the North Pennines and has shaped much of the landscape we see today. ' Sentinel ' stands as a symbol for the seamless bond between the landscape and sheep.

' Sentinel ' can be seen from the B6276 approx. 1 mile north of Brough. Please note the road can be dangerous at this point and there is no car parking. For a closer look I suggest you walk up from Brough or down from below Swindalehead.

'Sentinel' is part of an ongoing investigation of vernacular architecture and local sheep breeds. This project has been entirely self-funded with generous support from the North Pennines AONB Partnership, a team of volunteers and kind permission from the landowner.

web: www.stevemessam.co.uk
blog: www.stevemessam.wordpress.com
twitter: @rougeit

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