A stroll along the outskirts of Burrs Country Park, along the riverbank path. Nice easy find especially for children. Plenty of wildlife, great for bird watching. A small box containing a log book, pencil and some swops. Part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail with 3 sculptures:-
As If I Were A River has been produced around the key motif of this exhibition - the river. The ethos of this public art commission is to use art as a tool to enable the public to interpret their landscape and have the confidence to explore their environment.
- Water Wheel: The materials are painted steel and stone. This sculpture marks the entrance to Burrs Country Park once the site of a large cotton mill. The work, half immersed in masonry, at first glance might appear to be an uncovered relic of the huge waterwheels which originally powered the industry of the Irwell Valley. The wheel symbolises the process of constant change, the changing of a river into an industrial site and its change back into countryside again.
- Stone Cycle: Working on site gave the artist an understanding of the place, the passing of time, people, industry the reinventing of the area; this is represented in the broken circular layout of the sculpture. Like the site the stones had a previous life, originally quarried and cut for use as a bridge. Under the 100 years of industrial grime the artist discovered marks made by the original masons. Carved symbols were added to these marks, clues to long forgotten stories.
- Picnic Area: This sculpture is a representation of a human scale Rat Trap rendered in stainless steel with the words picnic area inscribed upon its plate. Sited in the corner of two water ways, a canal and a tributary that once fed the cotton mill, now all that remains of a bygone industrial age.
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Traditional Pub serving great food, East Lancashire Railway passes by, picnic areas, fishing (permit required) lots of open space to play. Great for family days out, dog friendly.