Things to do in Yorkshire: Giant horses and huge hares gather for the Newby Hall sculpture trail exhibition of bold and brilliant art works

Winding through the woodlands and glades, just waiting to be found, there are landing owls and huge sitting hares, gigantic fossil fruits, a cocker spaniel, a leaping iron horse, a vixen and her little foxes, and a host of mythical and magical creatures. In all, there are 40 artworks by more than 20 British-based artists, eight from Yorkshire.

“The sculptures are displayed among a variety of scenes,” says the exhibition trail’s curator, Orlando Compton. “We have two woodland areas, a river area and an orchard area, and they are positioned strategically along the walking route.”

Newby Hall is the family home of his parents, Richard and Lucinda Compton. Built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren, the house was later adapted and enlarged by John Carr and, in the late 18th century, William Weddell, Richard’s ancestor, engaged Robert Adam to redesign its interiors to provide a backdrop for his Grand Tour acquisitions.

Newby Hall has many claims to fame and has, in recent years, been used as a grand and stately TV and film location for Peaky Blinders, Victoria, Gentleman Jack, The ABC Murders and more. But perhaps the most impressive famous fact is that it was the real home of the real Lord Grantham (Downton Abbey, you might recall, is supposedly set near Ripon). And Lady Mary, daughter of the third Lord Grantham, inherited Newby Hall on marriage.

The hall is filled with artworks that now everyone can enjoy. “You can’t grow up somewhere like Newby without appreciating it,” Orlando says.

Sculpture trails have been a feature for 20 years, introduced by Orlando’s mother in 2002. He took over their curation in 2017.

“I took on the baton and wanted to invigorate it, especially after everything we have been through for the past three years, when we haven’t been able to have this open for obvious reasons,” he says.

“We really wanted to give, not just a reason for people to get out but also a flavour of Yorkshire, and Yorkshire has quite a strong representation this year, which is nice.

“All the gardens are as beautiful, if not more beautiful, than ever. It’s all connected, so coming into Newby enables you to go around the sculpture walk as well.”

One particularly arresting piece is a giant rearing horse by Ollie Holman, a blacksmith and artist who works from Burn, near Selby. He has been making metal sculptures since he was 13, and studied at Leeds College of Art and Loughborough University.

Called The Os II (2022), it is made from more than 600 locally sourced used horseshoes and is for sale at £34,000. Holman’s first Os, a 12ft rearing horse sculpture also made from horseshoes, stands at Cheltenham Racecourse. He started making it when he was 14. “At the time I hadn’t known anyone who had done it,” he says. “I

thought that it would be such an epic and challenging feat to replicate a powerful horse in horseshoes.

“I chose to make another one as I wanted to show the immense physical power and presence to a greater extent. And create the most anatomically true form possible using horseshoes, as it’s a brilliant link.

“The horseshoes involved have been sourced from local Yorkshire farriers, making it a true Yorkshire horse.”

North Yorkshire-based sculptor Victoria Ferrand Scott has created an intriguing artwork called Group of Fossil Fruit (7), which takes the form of several huge organically-shaped boulders lying on the ground. She took a Leverhulme Trust residency in Civil Engineering at Leeds University, and her work features experimentation with fluid concrete, harnessing natural forces of flow, elasticity and expansion. The Fossil Fruit series (one has been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022) was inspired by the swelling of gourds, captured and petrified at their most fruitful.

The Three Funky Monkeys, steel and translucent epoxy resin casts internally lit with motion sensor LEDs (£2,795), is a work by Ben Greenwood, a Knaresborough-based sculptor and prop maker working in the film, television, museum and exhibition sectors.

Contemporary equine and wildlife artist Freddy Paske, who is artist in residence for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, has created The Flying Emerald, a bronze sculpture inspired by the kingfisher (£3,400).

Sitting Hares (£7,800) is made in galvanised wire by Emma Stothard, who was born in Hull and grew up in Kilnsea, a tiny village at the northern end of Spurn Point, drawing the landscapes around her home. Her wire and willow sculptures of wild and domestic animals and birds are inspired by the creatures of the North York Moors around Whitby, and by memories of an East Yorkshire childhood.

“We have as always a wonderful variety of artists,” says Orlando, who studied History of Art at Oxford Brooks. His mother, Lucinda, was a furniture conservator, and is on hand if he needs advice. “She’ll come round and make some suggestions, and if I have a conundrum, I might ask her,” he says.

The whole Compton family is in the arts. Younger brother Ludovic is an art insurer, and younger sister Sasha is an artist and designer.

Newby Hall is a business and has to pay its way. It is open to visitors, with guided tours on offer around the house (the Chippendale collection is one of the largest and most complete in private ownership). There is a doll’s house collection and, in the gardens, the Bear House, housing Gyles teddy bear collection.

In 2020, the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show permanently moved to Newby’s grounds and this year the house’s sculpture trail will form part of that event.

Orlando says: “It’s certainly a massive privilege, being able to provide joy for local people. I always find it amazing that not more people come to Yorkshire. When I talk to people around the country, there are very few who regularly make a trip to Yorkshire, unless they have to. It’s another reason for people to come up.”

Visit newbyhall.com for opening times and prices. The Harrogate Flower Show runs from September 16-18. To buy a sculpture, email [email protected].