Lancashire art in the landscape issue 1

The recent Heritage lottery funded
restoration of Avenham and
Miller parks has highlighted the
presence of a number of art works
that can be viewed when visiting.
Some are better known than
others. The Dolphin fountain has
been repaired back to its original
condition while the carved stone
frog is perhaps less well known.
The Sebastopol canon are another
recent example of a restored
historical landmark.
The original cannons were
removed in the 1960’s leaving
a bare mounting plinth with a
carved “Sebastopol” inscription.
The replacements were not
without controversy, as can be
seen in the image, someone has
written “peace” on the barrel of
the cannon. Such a war like object
in a peaceful location upsets some
sensibilities. Often public art can
arouse strong emotions and some
installations have been destroyed
in other cities.
There are two Grade II listed
Victorian parks in Preston both
are adjacent to each other on the
banks of the Ribble. Designed by
Edward Milner, they were Built in
the 1860’s. The parks are separated
by the embankment of the East
Lancashire railway.
This railway ran into a dedicated
platform at Preston’s main station.
The viaduct over the river has recently
had a new surface applied and it is
intended that the path will be linked
to the Fishergate car park.