New sculpture plans unveiled

Plans for the first of a series of sculptures for Spalding town centre marking the town’s agricultural history have been unveiled.

Planning permission to site the artwork called The Hiring in Hall Place has been submitted to South Holland District Council.

The £15,000 piece created by sculptor Laury Dizengremel shows a farmer shaking hand with a shepherd.

This piece will be erected on the site of the traditional hiring fair, where each May, farm workers would seal the deal to work for a landowner by a handshake.

The Spalding Civic Society initiated the plans for a sculpture trail which is being commissioned by Transported Arts.

It has been funded by an Arts Council donation, public subscription and private donations.

Nick Jones from Transported Arts, said: “The Civic Society has for some time had an ambition to have a sculpture trail through the town to celebrate its farming and agricultural roots.

“The Hiring shows a farmer employing someone with a handshake as near as possible as to where it used to be.

“Laury was very excited to be commissioned with the statue and we’re delighted with what she’s made.

“She’s artist in residence at Belvoir Castle and has made sculptures of the likes of Roger Federer before, so to have one of her pieces in Spalding is a real treat.”

Nick says that the initial plan was for the sculpture to use life-size figures but that idea was scaled down due to financial constraints.

The planning application seeks that the artwork be placed on a plinth at the current location of a signpost which will be moved to a nearby site that won’t inconvenience market traders.

Plans are underway for the next sculpture in the trail.

Nick continued: “The plan is to have more such sculptures to mark where the likes of the cattle, poultry and horse fair were.

“We’re already in discussions and working towards a stone sculpture for the Sheep Market.”