Mary's Shell I
Cleveleys, Lancashire
I've seen images of this sculpture many times but only recently discovered its relatively close to me. The January weather is unlikely to provide a stunning sunrise or sunset at the moment and besides there are hundreds of these images so I took a punt on the foggy/misty start today to capture something different, something more eerie. Leaving home it was indeed foggy but at the coast more mist and light drizzle, such is the curse of the landscape photographer.
I wasn't sure what to expect of the sculpture in the context of its surroundings and was surprised to find I'd parked the car only 50m from it. So here's my take on Mary's Shell.
About the sculpture...
You can find the shell (sculptured by Stephen Broadbent) sat on the beach towards the northern end of the new promenade, opposite Jubilee Gardens and adjacent to the seafront cafe. It's a huge piece of public art, fastened to a base which has been fixed to concrete foundations set in the beach. It's 8m long and 4m tall and weighs in at 16.5 tonnes, with words from the story of the Sea Swallow etched inside.
It's completely visible once the tide goes out (obviously), and large enough for you to climb inside and read the inscriptions if so inclined. Once the tide comes in the shell fills with water and only the very top of it remains visible, poking through the waves.
Installation...
Mary's Shell was originally delivered to Cleveleys on Friday 13 September 2013 and spent a couple of weeks perched on a trailer on the shingle beach, awaiting transportation to its final spot on the sand. However, Friday 13th turned out to be an unfortunate choice of day - it was intended to be the day of installation but because of problems with the crane that was brought to site to do the lift, which wasn't suitable for use on the sand, the installation couldn't take place.
It was eventually positioned on the beach on the second attempt - 25th September 2013.
Mary's Shell I
Cleveleys, Lancashire
I've seen images of this sculpture many times but only recently discovered its relatively close to me. The January weather is unlikely to provide a stunning sunrise or sunset at the moment and besides there are hundreds of these images so I took a punt on the foggy/misty start today to capture something different, something more eerie. Leaving home it was indeed foggy but at the coast more mist and light drizzle, such is the curse of the landscape photographer.
I wasn't sure what to expect of the sculpture in the context of its surroundings and was surprised to find I'd parked the car only 50m from it. So here's my take on Mary's Shell.
About the sculpture...
You can find the shell (sculptured by Stephen Broadbent) sat on the beach towards the northern end of the new promenade, opposite Jubilee Gardens and adjacent to the seafront cafe. It's a huge piece of public art, fastened to a base which has been fixed to concrete foundations set in the beach. It's 8m long and 4m tall and weighs in at 16.5 tonnes, with words from the story of the Sea Swallow etched inside.
It's completely visible once the tide goes out (obviously), and large enough for you to climb inside and read the inscriptions if so inclined. Once the tide comes in the shell fills with water and only the very top of it remains visible, poking through the waves.
Installation...
Mary's Shell was originally delivered to Cleveleys on Friday 13 September 2013 and spent a couple of weeks perched on a trailer on the shingle beach, awaiting transportation to its final spot on the sand. However, Friday 13th turned out to be an unfortunate choice of day - it was intended to be the day of installation but because of problems with the crane that was brought to site to do the lift, which wasn't suitable for use on the sand, the installation couldn't take place.
It was eventually positioned on the beach on the second attempt - 25th September 2013.