Spen Valley Greenway Head - Heckmondwike, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 42.260 W 001° 40.523
30U E 587440 N 5951441
This fantasy animal's head was made from disused buckets taken from mechanical diggers.
Waymark Code: WMMB9F
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/25/2014
Views: 3
The Spen Valley Greenway is an old railway line that has been converted to a cycling, walking and horse riding trail.
The route was developed by SUSTRANS, a charity that encourages sustainable transport. Working with local councils they are developing cycling routes throughout the UK. Whilst some cycle paths consist of cycle lanes on existing roads wherever possible routes are created off road.
As part of the development of the route and to encourage local communities to use the route a series of artworks were placed alongside the route.
The artist Jason Lane was resident artist on the path during the first construction phase. He worked in scrap metal sourced from a local scrap yard and made 5 bulky seats, tall entrance columns from wheel hubs and a series of access markers and mile posts. "I mostly work in scrap metal looking for discarded pieces and fittings with evocative shapes, which I use to make figures, faces, animals or whatever they suggest."
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The sculpture is situated at the end of a railway bridge at the entrance to the what used to be Heckmondwike Central Station. The station no longer exists and was demolished sometime after its closing date of 1965. The bridge crosses Station Lane, but the nearest entrance to the cycling route at this point is from the car park at the end of Station Road.