‘Angel of coal mining’ sculpture to be installed as 2,500-home development takes shape
Proposals have been approved for the new artwork at the old Parkhill Colliery in Wakefield.
A coal mining ‘angel’ sculpture is to be installed on the site of a former colliery which is being transformed into a housing development.
Proposals have been approved for the new artwork at the old Parkhill Colliery in Wakefield.
The site falls within the City Fields urban extension where a new neighbourhood of 2,500 new homes are expected to be delivered alongside the existing communities of Stanley, Eastmoor, Agbrigg, Belle Vue and Portobello.
A series of developer-funded public artworks are being installed across the 375-acre site as part of the scheme.
Wakefield Council commissioned artist Steve Anwar to design the work, titled Earth Rise, for a parcel of land off Park Lodge Lane and Neil Fox Way, near to Taylor Wimpey’s Newland Grange housing scheme.
A design and access statement supporting the project said the installation featured “two industrial, wing-like structures above a geometric coal pile” to be placed above an existing pit wheel on the land.
The report said the structure had been designed to appear as a reference to the area’s mining legacy “along with its rich biodiversity and the presence of protected bird species.”
The document said: “Crucial to the ambitions of City Fields is a desire to create a distinct neighbourhood which integrates into the existing surrounding communities, and this latest artwork project will be critical in this respect.
“The wings, forged from robust, architectural steel, symbolise the arrival of a new community – a landing that honours the legacy of the Parkhill Colliery while envisioning a future defined by growth, diversity, and resilience.
“The structure becomes an ‘angel of coal mining’ elevating the material that once lay deep underground into a beacon that rises toward the sky.”
The report said the design featured bird nesting spaces hidden within the wings and the structure was also considered to be a “habitat.”
A planning officer’s report said: “The scheme has been considerately designed and would represent a high-quality and in keeping addition to the landscape which reflects the character of the wider area overall.”
Parkhill Colliery closed in 1982 after being in operation for more than a century.