1485 Sculpture Trail
Plans are afoot to commemorate key moments from the historic Battle of Bosworth with a unique sculpture trail throughout villages & towns around Leicestershire.
The Bosworth 1485 Sculpture Trail, an initiative led by Leicestershire Promotions and supported by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, will comprise a series of six significant works of art. The trail will be along a rural route which will link the six key locations of the Battle using rights of way, canal paths and village lanes. Each artwork has been specially commissioned to mark the events of the battle when King Richard III fought for his crown and lost his life, and the subsequent impact on English history as the Tudor dynasty began with the reign of Henry Tudor.
St James’s Church, Sutton Cheney will be the site of the first installation, representing contemplation on the eve of the Battle – entitled “The Calm before The Storm”. The second installation, “The Storm Breaks” will be on the Fenn Lanes, representing the battle site and the third, at St Margaret’s Church, Stoke Golding, representing Henry’s victory.
St James’s Church, Dadlington, where the remains of many of those who fell in the battle are believed to be buried, will be the site of an artwork “The Healing” signifying healing and reconciliation, and Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre will display an artwork representing archaeology and “Digging up the Past”.
The Trail ends in Market Bosworth, highlighting the local market place where people in the past and the present come together for debate, storytelling and performance.
The sculptures will be linked by a 21km trail (walking) or 24.35km (by car/ cycle), trough the fields and communities of south west Leicestershire including the rural communities of Shenton, Sutton Cheney, Dadlington, Stoke Golding and Market Bosworth, urban areas such as Hinckley and Leicester, and around the site of the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire Promotions, which conceived the project for the Trail said:
“The development of the Trail has been overseen by a core group of supporting organisations to successfully focus on key elements of the project such as history and heritage, tourism, culture, education and public consultation and Rights of Way. The discovery and subsequent reinterment of King Richard lll is one of the most widely reported historical stories in recent years. This new Trail will create an important new cultural and tourism destination for local people and visitors to learn more about the fate of Richard lll in one of the most significant battles in English history.”
The projects are supported by the parishes of Dadlington, Market Bosworth, Sutton Cheney and Stoke Golding, Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Parish churches of Dadlington, Market Bosworth and Sutton Cheney, Ashby Canal Association and several landowners and private individuals.