Belltower

Belltower -

On a research visit to Ushaw in preparation for The Architect of Ruins I spotted the House Bell Turret. Ushaw is a bit of an architectural gem - with more Pugin architecture than you can shake a gothic stick at. I wanted to install a piece that would act as a silhouette to what already exists and create an homage to some of the incredible Gothic-Revival architecture on the site. This piece is much more about form and scale than colour and subtly alters the skyline between the main house and the library. On one level it’s about looking up - the best way to appreciate some of the architecture there, but it’s also about light and time and ornament.

The House Bell Turret was constructed alongside the new Library buildings in the 1850s. During Ushaw’s time as a seminary, it played a vital role in the lives of the men who studied there. As a book published in 1894 to celebrate Ushaw’s centenary relates, ‘It is the official time-keeper for the duties of the house. The old clock may chime or not, as it likes, the Ushaw man’s call to duty is “the first sound of the bell”’.

‘Belltower’ was commissioned by Ushaw with support from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.