Herrington Hall Stones

In 2009, we were commissioned by Sunderland City Council to produce a public art piece for Herrington Park, based upon the history of the area. Working with East Herrington Primary School and Herrington Heritage Society, the project aimed to develop a sense of ownership over the park.

Visual artist, Natalie Frost, worked alongside pupils from the primary school to develop ideas for a stone carving to be carved into a freestanding boulder.  The sculpture carving was inspired by a servant girl who in the late 1800s was murdered during a burglary at Herrington Manor, a site opposite the park. Her hooded spectre is said to be have been spotted in the area on a number of occasions.

◄ Back
Picture 1 of 3

Text and pattern workshops took place in school and at the park. Initial drawings were responding to stories surrounding Lady Jane Peat, an outrageous and eccentric miser who lived in Herrington in the early 1800s.

Members of the Heritage Society worked closely with the school children in a storytelling role. As experts on the history of the locality they were also available to answer the many of the children’s questions about their heritage. Some children came with information of their own, gathered from older family members.

The children used block printing techniques to make a window hanging. The prints they made were inspired by the yellow lace dress that Lady Jane Peat wore to celebrate the death of her husband. The text on the banner was chosen by researching old English proverbs about money and meanness.

A site within the park was chosen, an undeveloped wooded area near the chapel which the Heritage Society use as a base.

Natalie worked with Ken Howe from Stone Essentials to create the sculpture:

 

 

  • 4 stacked stone discs, weighing 900kg each represents the hoarding of money
  • A lace – like pattern to represent Lady Jane Peat’s dress
  • A proverb reflecting the uncaring relationship of Lady Jane Peat to her servant, Isabella.

The text reads:

“TAKE HEED FROM LADY JANE PEAT, MISER OF HERRINGTON (1750 – 1842) AND ISABELLA YOUNG HER MAID MURDERED IN 1815 – MONEY IS A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER”.