Welcome to the River Colne Sculpture Trail! We hope you will enjoy the sculptures sited from Marsden to Milnsbridge.

Background
The idea for the sculpture trail idea came from one of the River Colne Project’s River Forum meetings. The sculptures reflect the valley’s history, natural environment and also look to the future as the valley is changes from the industrial to the digital age.

In 2006 Emma Dean was appointed as the River Colne Sculpture Trail project officer. Emma worked for two and a half years finding sculpture sites, liaising with local groups, securing funding and overseeing the sculpture commissions.

The commissions
The first commission was Jayne Lloyd’s intricate glass panels in Slaithwaite. Next came the ‘Milnsbridge Matters’ project which commissioned light sculptor, Raphael Daden to create three sculptures. This was achieved by the successful television vote run by ITV’s Calendar news and funded by the Big Lottery. Then Lewis Morgan transformed the signpost at Eastergate, near Marsden and finally the sound sculpture by Matthew Sansom was installed at Rotcher!

Lastly we worked closely with Huddersfield New College to commission some of their students to create interactive animations to encourage younger users to think about sculptures in the valley.

And there’s more!
Alongside the newly commissioned artworks, the Trail includes many existing sculptures which reflect the projects’ themes. There are canalside sheep in Milnsbridge, a flagpole in Slaithwaite, a steel sheep fold in Marsden, a water goddess at Hey Green and River Colne signs all along the trail! So join the trail anywhere and make the most of the valley’s scenery, heritage and sculptures...

The Sculpture Trail Route
The sculpture trail uses the canal towpath as a backbone for a number of short circular walks along public footpaths. You can visit either a small part of the trail or all of it in one go - if you're feeling ambitious! The trail runs between Milnsbridge and Marsden.