New Sculpture Art Trail at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens for 2024

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens and the Surrey Sculpture Society have launched a new collaboration for 2024, showcasing local artists from Sussex and Surrey.

The Society, which has previously exhibited during the summer months at the West Sussex estate, has designed and curated a new Art Walk featuring over 100 sculptures. The exhibition will run year-round in the Grade I Listed gardens, with admission included in the entrance price to Leonardslee.

The design of the Art Walk and the artful location of each sculpture take advantage of the setting with its diverse range of trees and shrubs, often rare and threatened in the wild. The trail winds down to the estate’s seven lakes and conveniently ends with a return shuttle service.

Visitors are treated to an extensive exhibition of affordable sculptures, starting from just £175, in a range of styles and sizes, suitable for almost any garden or home. The works are by both established and emerging artists and are made in a wide range of materials including bronze, resin, glass, metal, wood, stone, ceramic and found objects.

As well as an outdoor trail, there is a new indoor sculpture exhibition situated within Leonardslee House with plans to expand the collection further into its sister property, Mannings Heath Estate just three miles away. All artwork is for sale.

The venue, with its 240 acres of gardens and lakes, parkland and forests, has a range of visitor facilities for snacks, lunch and dinner, as well as a gift shop, garden centre and a ‘magical world in miniature’ at the popular Beyond the Dolls’ House exhibition.

Adam Streeter, general manager at Leonardslee Lakes and Garden, says:

“Leonardslee is becoming a centre for the arts in the Southeast. With the opening of the new sculpture trail, we will be launching a programme of events for children and schools in 2024, with guided tours and activities, so that everyone can fully enjoy the art in the special setting of the gardens. There are also plans for workshops where visitors can meet with the artists to create their own personal pieces of art.”

Surrey Sculpture Society exhibition manager, Abby Martin, says:

“It's a joy to work with the team at Leonardslee who are as passionate about bringing art and sculpture to the public as the society. The opportunity to take our relationship with the estate to a new level is very exciting. This year-round venture will allow us to exhibit sculptures for longer, rotating the works so that there are always new features, new works and new artists to see, to keep the trail alive and evolving.”

Admission to the Surrey Sculpture Society’s Sculpture Art Walk Trail is included in the entrance price to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, Horsham, RH13 6PP.

The venue is open daily from 9am to 4pm, off-peak in the autumn and winter, and 9am to 5pm in the spring and summer.

For details of entrance fees and visitor information: visit: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk

For information on the Surrey Sculpture Society visit www.surreysculpture.org.uk 

About the Artists 

There are some 100 sculptures by over 40 different artists, showcasing a wide variety of mediums, styles, and subjects. 

Key features of the Art Walk include:

• Large metal sculptures like "Higher Daddy Higher" by Seamus Cuddihy and "Feel” by Alex Smith 
• Animal sculptures are very popular, with pieces like "Prowling Wolves" by Graeme Lougher, "Territorial Tiger" by Teresa Martin, and "Lean on Me” by Min Reid.   
• Abstract sculptures such as "Go Figure" by Elizabeth Leyland, "Cuboidal" by Jo Walls, and the Fractaala series by Juliette Derwent.  
• Figurative works like "Bliss” by Laura Jane Wylder and the floral-inspired "Purple Protea" by Nicholas Baker.  
• Several artists have multiple pieces in the show, including Jeremy Moulsdale, Diana Roles, Adam Aaronson, Kate Woodlock, and others. 

Surrey Sculpture Society Artists include: 

Nick Baker 

Nick is Chair of the Surrey Sculpture Society. He is a self-taught sculptor with a background in construction. His Surrey-based workshop is full of everything from intricate staircases to oversized flowers and kinetic creations. He works principally in metal and other cast materials. At Leonardslee, you will be welcomed by a group of Protea flowers down by the lake along with his kinetic works, Choir and Chorus.

He says of his work, “I love the freedom that sculpture affords – the chance to let the imagination run free and with no rules, barring pesky Newton’s physics. With another hat on, I enjoy the discipline of constructing functional pieces, where measurements, angles and accuracy are paramount. 

Sarah Goodfellow

Sarah is a fine art, realist sculptor working primarily in clay. Her animal sculptures which, after moulding, are generally cast in resin or bronze, are a joy to behold indoors and out.

She says of her practice: “I’m particularly inspired by capturing both the mood and form of my subjects. I find that a pose can impart so much meaning, the squint of an eye, the set of a jaw, puckering of lips or furrowing of a brow can totally change the way that we respond emotionally to a sculpture.

“I like to imagine what it would be like to actually reach out and touch the animals that I create. We have a natural curiosity about the animals that we share the world with that draws us to them, but if we do manage to interact, they are usually such fleeting moments. I try to capture such an instant when I create a sculpture.”

Having studied anatomy, all of Sarah’s sculptures are meticulously based on accurate skull and skeletal dimensions, using hundreds of photos and the physical subjects themselves to create these stunning likenesses.

Her works at Leonardslee include the Kiss, the Faintest Whiff and Mates for Life. See if you can guess which animals the titles might refer to. 

Graeme Lougher

Graeme is a West Sussex-based figurative sculptor who works mainly in bronze and iron resin. Not only a gifted creator himself, he also lends his skills to other Surrey-based artists, moulding and casting work for other sculptors in the area.

He learned his craft working in the film industry producing props and models for the likes of Shepperton Studios and the Star Wars franchise. He was also part of the small team that originally set up the Legoland theme park in Windsor.

He says of his work: "I've always been creative and love seeing something that I've made give enjoyment to people, plus I secretly enjoy the mess that comes with building each project. I could never sit behind a desk!"

His life-size sculptures of In Haste and Prowling Wolves, which are now on display at Leonardslee Gardens, are a classic example of the evocative work which Graeme produces. He says, "Sculptures make a garden a bit more mysterious - I think people miss the opportunity to make their outdoor spaces interesting and fun." No danger of that with Graeme’s work in situ! 

For details of entrance fees and visitor information: visit: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk

For information on the Surrey Sculpture Society visit www.surreysculpture.org.uk 

Ends

Editors notes

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is a family-owned vineyard estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, which features ‘the finest woodland gardens in England’, Grade I Listed, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard accommodation.

The 240-acre estate was established by Sir Edmund Loder, the great Victorian plant collector, and now includes a Sussex Wine vineyard, with the first release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2024.

The estate features outstanding displays all year round. In the spring this includes rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. The collection is exceptional in its diversity and maturity, with several rare ‘champion’ trees, threatened in their natural habitat.

The gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife such as Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds - Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales.

The estate reopened in April 2019, following acquisition and two years’ intensive work by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE to restore the woodland gardens after eight years of closure and neglect under previous ownership. It was the largest garden restoration project in the United Kingdom since Heligan 30 years before.

Since further restoration work in 2021, visitors can also stay in the luxury vineyard hotel after dining at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House, the Grade II Listed Italianate mansion house, to experience the Michelin Star multi-course tasting menu created by chef Jean Delport.

Visitors can view a magical world in miniature at the Beyond the Doll's House exhibition, which depicts the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1:12 scale. They can then enjoy a classic afternoon tea in the mansion house, making for a great family day out. It is one of the top places to visit in Sussex and is open all year round except Christmas Day.

For great days out, there is an extensive programme of entertainment that includes winter garden illuminations and light trails, wine and beer festivals, photo and art exhibitions, live music events, cooking and gardening demonstrations, arts and crafts fairs, modelling and toy shows, and children’s events and adventure trails.

Vineyards –

Leonardslee Estate: Acquired 2017 - 37 Acres - 2018 First vines planted - 125,000 bottles of Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine.

Mannings Estate: Acquired 2017 - 34 Acres - 2017 First vines planted - 70,000 Estimated bottles Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine.