Trails with Tails

The sculpture is made up of three curved and twisting pathways carved from a single slab of Irish Blue Limestone. The curved and elegant sculpture symbolises three pathways. The stones interlocking paths are pierced, allowing for views through the sculpture. Each pathway is carved to create an illusion of perspective.

The widest curved pathway on the sculpture will have the bands and text markings of a topographical map of the park, referencing the undulating landscape. This may even include some of the organic ‘bunker’ shapes from the neighbouring golf course. The second curved pathway will represent water and will relate to the small pond situated in the park and the view down to the River Medway. The surface of the stone will be carved and polished to mimic the flow and the reflection of the water. The third pathway will represent the arboretum and the variety of species of trees in the park. It will have a series of leaf shapes and seeds carved onto its surface.   

Corylus Avellana

The sculpture position is chosen to signify to the visitor that they are within the Arboretum area of the park.
The concept for this sculpture comes from using the Cobtree leaf.
The distinctive shape of the leaf is CNC machine cut from a slab of Irish Blue Limestone by
and Latin name of the tree and leaf will be carved onto the surface of the slab.
The stone with its hollow leaf outline will create an ever-changing window of colour as the trees change with the seasons.
The stone cut from the slab with its distinctive leaf shape pattern is securely fixed to the ground. It rests on the ground like a metaphor for a leaf that has fallen from a tree.
The cut out leaf shape will be the correct height to be used as a sculptural seat.

Seed Stack

 The concept for this sculpture comes from the variety of seeds and plants produced and found within Cobtree Park.
This is a fun and playful sculpture, which also references the wildlife one might encounter within the woodland setting as they forage and harvest for food.
The seeds also represent growth and new life cycles, which supports the history of the park from its original beginnings and owners through to its current users, the people of Maidstone.

Zebra Rock

‘Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, a well-travelled and colourful character was an eccentric man and it is believed that he had a fascination for the Zebra’ http://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=1031

          ‘Zebra Rock’ will have a tall, strong single rippling wave as its form.

Its distinctive black and white striped colouring will stand like a marker, visible from the bottom of the hill. It’s positioning will be in line with and echo the monolithic granite gateposts at the bottom of the hill. The sculpture is constructed using a combination of polished ‘Kilkenny Limestone’, which is black in colour and polished white ‘Portland limestone’. The top and bottom sections of the sculpture suggest an architectural feature. This may be interpreted as castle turrets or they may be seen as structural links used for the construction of the work. The treatment of the front surface of the stone will be carved to reference water. The stone will have a highly polished ripple effect, mimicking the movement and reflective qualities of water and the River Medway. On the plinth base stone there will be a series of carved names of animals that made up the collection at Maidstone Zoo.

Public Display

The design proposals for the sculpture trail went on public display at Cobtree Park. This will be Phase 3 of the regeneration programme which will also include a new visitor centre. One of the four sculptures will be located next to the building and will signify the start of the trail.

I was on hand to answer questions from the public about the concepts for the sculptures. It was great getting feedback on the proposed artworks, which had all been positively received. I was also pleased that I had the chance to hear first hand accounts from local residents about their connection to the park and their memories of Maidstone zoo.

Designs and concepts of the four new sculptures on the right with an artist impression of the new visitor centre on the left.

The Site History

The history of Cobtree Manor Park was a real surprise to me. I am not originally from Maidstone but I have lived and worked in the town for 11 years now and I was intrigued to find out that it once had a zoo in this exact park. It was Maidstone Zoo from 1934 until 1959 and was owned by Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake. In the 16th Century, Cobtree was owned by Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington Castle before being passed onto the Tyrwhitt-Drake family. Sir Garrard was a passionate collector of wild animals and showed them in a travelling menagerie until finally using the animals to set up a zoo at his home in Cobtree. He had a fascination for the zebra and a story circulated that he once even painted a donkey with black and white stripes so he could admire it from his window! Among the other animals he kept were elephants, chimpanzees, emus, a lion and exotic birds. The zoo was even bombed during the second world war. Sir Garrard eventually died in 1964 childless and bequethed his estate which includes Cobtree to the people of Maidstone. Both Sir Garrard and his wife set up the Cobtree Charity Trust in order to ensure that the estate is forever "used for the benefit of the inhabitants of Maidstone and the surrounding neighbourhood". In 1985 Cobtree Manor Park was opened on the site of the old zoo. One of the buildings still left from when the zoo existed is the Elephant House which once housed two elephants called Gert and Daisy.

Elephant house at Maidstone Zoo

Trails with Tales

My name is Jason Mulligan and I am a stone sculptor. This blog will follow the production of a series of four site specific stone sculptures designed by myself for the permanent display within 'Cobtree Manor Park' in Maidstone Kent. The public art commission was an open submission competition devised by Maidstone Borough Council who have been working in partnership with the Cobtree Estate Committee. Their vision and concept is to create a sculpture trail around the newly regenerated park with an emphasis on encouraging visitors to explore the extent of the park while also celebrating its past history as a private zoo.
The project is anticipated to be completed over a period of five months and I will be making regular updates on the blog, detailing the various stages from fabrication and production to the final installation.
Please feel free to like, comment and share.

Map of  Cobtree Manor Park. The yellow line indicates the new parkland walk and the green line indicates the woodland walk. The proposed sculptures will be located along the parkland pathway.