Explained: All the major open space artworks in Basingstoke

The most recent artwork is our Jane Austen sculpture by Adam Roud, which was installed in Market Place in 2017 to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen.

Jane’s connection with what is now the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane notes her birth in Steventon and the dances she attended in the Town Hall or in private homes.

Stopping with her mother after a long journey from her brother Edward’s house in Kent, we learn that Mrs Austen was unwell from the tedium of the long bouncy coach ride and took refuge in an inn – maybe The Crown or the Red Lion – from where Dr John Lyford came from his home in Cross Street to prescribe some laudanum.

Jane took advantage of this break to do some shopping in Basingstoke. She grumbled about the ‘retail outlets’ much as folks do today!

Many of the works of art arose from a council project called ‘Percent for Art’ in the 1990s, which asked new businesses to sponsor or donate works to add to the life of the town.

For instance, the lovely ‘Sailing by Stars’ by Sarah Tombs – initially set in a sea of lavender – is on the slope below the station.

Sailing by Stars by Sarah Tombs (Image: Newsquest)

This work was funded by Winterthur Life and British Rail as well as the county and borough councils.  

Nearby two men with goggles create an arch over Alençon Link for a gateway, which was planned but didn’t happen.

This sculpture represents the town’s industries and foundries. David Annand was the sculptor. It is called L’Arc is another iconic sculptor in Basingstoke.

L’Arc by David Annand (Image: Newsquest)

The Church Stone in Wote Street (Image: Newsquest)

Michael Pegler, who designed it, said of his sculpture: “I was asked to design a sculpture to go in the position of where a church once stood. That is why it took the form it did…to bring some peace and tranquillity to the hustle and bustle of the commercial centre there”.

If you look at it there is a woman praying, a Roman amphora as a nod to Silchester and apparently, its overall shape refers to Stonehenge – I guess to underline the timelessness of worship.

However, this one was nicknamed instantly the ‘Wote Street Willy’, which the artist said emphasised that the town had adopted the sculpture as their own. Its proper name is Church Stone.

The Church Stone stands where once the Immanuel Church stood. It was a Countess of Huntingdon church. Photo credit: Terry Hunt (Image: Terry Hunt)

In Cross Street, Richard Kindersley’s carved stone panels in the pavement tell the story of the history of Western Civilisation and of Britain’s place within Europe as well as scenes from local history.

It also has an analemmatic sundial where a person stands as the gnomon and their shadow shows the time on a carved clock face on the pavement. It looks brilliant on a sunny day!

Sadly, these panels are now in very poor condition and talks are underway about their future.

The Triumphal Gates at the east end of London Street were also placed there as part of a layout which never happened,  but they are a striking structure with bronze panels illustrating the town’s history.

This was probably the least popular of the works in the town when it was installed, but I think it’s a fine piece of work.

The Basingstoke story panels are fairly easy to identify but one which is quite hard to guess is a view of the town nestled among its hills. This panel depicts ‘Stoke Barehills’, which was the name given to Basingstoke by Thomas Hardy in his Wessex novels. Stoke Barehills is particularly important in Jude the Obscure.

In Festival Square there are Loddon Lily sculptures, which once ran with water. They represent the nearby Loddon, and a rare flower that blooms at some point along the Loddon.

The Loddon Lily sculpture at Festival Square (Image: Newsquest)

The ‘tunnel’ down to the bus station has sculptured stainless steel doors into the delivery area beneath the shops. These too are designed artworks as are the fluorescent artworks, known as The River of Light. By The Anvil sits ‘Poppy’ by Tom Merrifield – a ballet dancer.

The River of Light (Image: Newsquest)

Why not pick up the council’s Art in the Open booklet and see how many you can find – to know more, go to basingstoke.gov.uk/public-art