Willow Ladder I
David Nash – Bogle Crag – 1978
Sited at Bogle Crag just after the first right hand turn up from the Car Park. Nash attempted to grow 8 willow tree saplings together to naturally form the shape of a ladder. The first Willow Ladder in 1978 was quickly eaten by Deer.
From ‘A Sense of Place’ Book 1984
Below is a maquette of the piece, now housed in the Grizedale Arts office in Coniston.
Photograph Taken June 2019
Sketch from David Nash Return to the Forest exhibition
Willow Ladder II
David Nash – Bogle Crag – 1979
Material: Wood
Trail: Bogle Crag Trail
Theme: Modern Life
Form: Realism
Size: 12 foot high
Maps Featured on: 1981 – 1990
Status: Decommissioned, one leg remains Dec 2020
Photo for newspaper clipping, unknown source or date
Willow Ladder II, was a second attempt in 1979. This must have been more successful, it was listed on guide maps until 1988. Overall Nash claimed this artwork failed as he did not have enough time in the residency to keep returning to Grizedale to maintain it.
One half of the ladder does still stand to this day. It has now grown into a tall, if spindly tree. You can see the four saplings that were grafted together to make the tree initially, though none of the branches which formed the ladder steps are discernible.
Photograph Taken 2019
The sculpture had a fence put around it at some point to protect what was left, making it easy to find. Though in summer when the trees are in leaf and the bracken is high it is virtually impossible to see, it is best viewed in the winter months.
Last listed on the 1991 map. It must have been severely damaged around 1990.
Artist’s other work in Grizedale –
Running Table – 1978
Horned Tripod – 1978
Wooden Waterway – 1978
Sweeping Larch Enclosure – 1978
Fork Ladders – 1978
A Meeting of Ways – 1981
Page last updated Jan 2021
Grizedale Forest Sculpture An Unofficial Archive 