Heritage Doncaster

Nick Stopforth, Head of Culture and Commercial for Doncaster Council, shares some recent feedback about Doncaster’s mining statue, A Rich Seam.

We had contact from sculptor Laurence Edwards recently about a letter Laurence received which really summed up for me the ambition, purpose and success of the sculpture, which you can see located on Printing Office Street, Doncaster.

The letter reads as follows:

‘Last week I was in Rossington visiting my relatives, so I took the opportunity to visit ‘A Rich Seam.’ It was a profoundly moving experience. Not only is it a stunning piece of work and surprising to find in that location, but it was the response of the passers by that I thought you would find gratifying.

I struck up conversations with several people who were really affected by it. A woman whose father had been a miner at Thorne said it was ’the best thing she’d ever seen’ she was quite tearful and said it had made her week. A fitter from Cadeby Main was bowled over and wanted to reminisce about his experiences, you could see the pride in his face when I pointed out the inscription plate. A couple of people sat on the bench opposite just observing for quite some time. What I thought was lovely is that it sparked connections between people; passers by would stop, be drawn in, and start conversations with strangers…creating a sense of community, of kindred spirits. You could see their pride that their work had been recognised.

What I particularly loved about your sculpture and its location is that it reached those who would never walk into/feel at home an art gallery, and it made them feel good about themselves. The best art is about how it makes you feel, and by that measure alone it has succeeded totally.’

Laurence went on to say “hardly a day goes by without talking to someone about this sculpture – it seems to resonate”.

So thank you to Laurence for sharing this letter; and thank you to the individual who took the time to write to you – it is good to know that our work and combined efforts have made such a positive difference.

You can find out more about A Rich Seam on the Art UK website and you can see video footage of the work involved – search for A Rich Seam Doncaster on YouTube.