Water Wheel

Antony Holloway – Farra Grain – 1993

From Grizedale Archive by Bill Grant

Alternate Title: Magic Wheel

Material: Wood

Trail: Silurian Way

Theme: Water

Form: Realism

Maps Featured on: 1993 – 1997

Status: Removed, no remains

Quote from the artist  “Water is an essential life-giving element in nature’s complex network of interrelated cycles. It is fitting that it should rotate the days, seasons and lives on the wheel. The rhythmic pounding of water against wood is mesmerising. The wheel is like the relentlessly beating heart of a living forest. It is a visual, aural and kinetic manifestation of the overwhelming power of nature.”

Photograph from Natural Order Book by Bill Grant – Holloway making the two wheels in the workshop in Grizedale.

“The waterwheel is mounted on an existing drystone wall (part of which was rebuilt). Water taken from upstream is delivered to the wheel by means of a wooden flume.

Carvings on one side of the wheel depict the circular movement of day and night. Either side side of the sun are daytime animals and flowers. Flanking the moon are nocturnal animals and stars. Between images of night and day time life, are carvings of crepuscular animals. 

The other side of the sculpture illustrates the continual rotation of the seasons through the imagery of weather. “

Sited in Farra Grain Gill just off the path. This was a fully functioning water wheel.

The sculpture, being a working water wheel was subject to the power of the water flowing past it. At one point the central beam broke – though this was a fault in the wood. It was repaired and the wheel continued working until 1997 when a storm surge brought debris down the river – including trees – which smashed the wheel to smithereens.

Antony returned to the forest to see the damage. By walking downstream he was able to collect all the carved panels that had been on the wheel. He still has the panels and very kindly sent me a photo of them, still in remarkable condition to this day.

Photos & sketch above courtesy of Antony Holloway

Waymarker

Photograph by Reece Ingram 1997

The waymarker for this sculpture was a bat with Orion’s belt, created & sited in 1997. Not long after this was installed, Water Wheel was destroyed. This marker then stayed to mark River Under Tension which was then built upstream not long after.

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Artist’s other work in Grizedale –

Living Wood -1991

The Turning Point, Slate Seat, Circle of Logs – 1990s

Spiral Growth – 1993

Addison Seat – 1994

Brantwood Seat – 1995

Wheel of Seasons – 1996

Page last updated April 2020