Artist Holly Graham, right, talks sundials with Peter Ransom as part of her Cane Hill project
Artist Holly Graham has been commissioned by housebuilders Barratts to create a piece of art to commemorate Cane Hill Hospital, the site on which their Cane Hill Park development has been built in Coulsdon.
Honouring the history of the clock tower that stood pride of place at Cane Hill Hospital, the art piece will take the form of a sundial which will be located in the centre of the 750-home development.
The work will build on research into the history of the site via the Museum of Croydon’s archive and discussions with local residents, students at Coulsdon College and artists at the Bethlem Gallery over a series of workshops.
“I think it’s really special to think that every place has a local solar time of its own, one that is generally flattened by Greenwich Mean Time and the averaging of standardised time zones,” Graham said.
“This new dial will aim to encourage consideration of time in its expanded sense – how we root ourselves in the present in relation to what’s gone before and what is yet to come, amidst changing winds and seasons.”
To create the artwork, Holly Graham has been working in partnership with local fabricators setWorks and Peter Ransom, the education advisor for the British Sundial Society and chair of the council for the Mathematical Association.
This has included holding a workshop at Coulsdon College with A-level Maths and Engineering pupils, engaging in the sundial-making process.
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Excellent to see Public Art, and particularly, art that is relevant to the history of a place. I look forward to seeing it. Good that the artist is working with residents and students, and experts on local history.
The Cane Hill redevelopment has proved a geat success in so many respects, with attarctive new houses and flats in layouts that work with the pre-existing landscape of trees planted by the Victorians, and designs and materials that respect the architectural heritage of the site.
It is very popular, selling well, and provides affordable social housing as well as homes for sale.
The redevelopment includes the key best buildings–the watertower and the Admin block, and Chapel. The grim Hospital has thankfully gone. Just a pity that the “village pond” is just a sump for muddy water.
The many new residents are lucky to enjoy well-insulated new homes, set in a very green environment, but within easy walk of Coulsdon Town Centre and the station. Their presence and buying-powre is doing Coulsdon shops and cafes a lot of good too.