Sculpture Fuses Old and New At Crewe Hall Farm
27 June 2008

The Duchy of Lancaster has paid tribute to the long tradition of dairy farming at Crewe Hall Farm by commissioning a life-size sculpture from one of the country’s leading young sculptors and portrait artists. Amy Goodman’s hand-crafted ‘cow and calf’ is made entirely from welded steel rods and painted cream to complement its surroundings. The new work was unveiled today as part of the official opening of Crewe Hall Farm which has been transformed into prestige offices by the Duchy of Lancaster and its partner, Maple Grove Developments.

Describing her sculpture as a ‘three dimensional drawing’, Amy said: “I wanted to make something that echoes the history of the site, and the cow and calf perfectly represents the heritage of the dairy farm. In addition, the idea of new and successive generations living on this site seemed to me to reflect the principles behind the revitalisation of these lovely old buildings.”

The unique sculpture took approximately six weeks to make and the design process started with detailed sketches and measurements of real life cows and calves. Each rod was individually bent into shape and MIG-welded and regular reference to the cows’ measurements was made throughout to ensure meticulous attention to detail. With the anatomy as a starting point, Amy then lets the lines of steel intuitively flow. The sculpture was then galvanised to protect it from the elements and painted in a warm hard-wearing cream finish in dramatic contrast to the deep red of the 19th century farm buildings which provide its backdrop.

Commenting on the sculpture, Paul Clarke, CEO for the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “Throughout the redevelopment of Crewe Hall Farm, our objective has been to bring old and new together to provide a vibrant new asset for the local business community. In its traditional subject matter and contemporary materials, this charming sculpture represents both the history and the future of the Farm. We are therefore delighted to unveil it today as the final showpiece in what has been a fascinating redevelopment project.”