Two impressive pieces of artwork have recently been unveiled in Blackwood town centre.
The first sculpture ‘Workhorses’ by local artist Rubin Eynon has been unveiled on the approach to Blackwood bus station. The eye catching piece depict workhorses, that historically used to heave trams between the ironworks of the Sirhowy Valley and the docks at Newport through the woodlands of what is now Blackwood town centre.
The second impressive sculpture, the ‘Torc Gateway’, also by local artist Rubin Eynon, commemorates Blackwood town’s long-standing twinning partnership with Protivin in the Czech Republic, and is positioned in a prime location on Blackwood High Street.
Cllr Ron Davies, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning said, “Both spectacular sculptures are helping breathe new life in Blackwood town centre, and really help to promote Blackwood’s rich culture and historic past”.
The ‘Workhorses’ sculpture shows a team of horses, which would not only physically pulled heavy loads of iron, coal and equipment along this route, but, through their labour, they were also pulling Blackwood into the future as the area became more and more industrialised.
Each horse, which combines three layers of different metals, mild steel, stainless steel and copper, encompasses a decorative floral pattern containing oak leaves, representing the ancient woodlands that in 1805, blanketed the Blackwood landscape.
This sculpture was funded by the Arts Council of Wales, supported by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The ‘Torc Gateway’ sculpture has been inspired by local industrial heritage and engineering as well as a Celtic neck Torc. A key feature of the sculpture is the art nouveau style tree decoration.
Oak leaves are detailed on one side of the arch, relating to the original forest of Blackwood with Plane tree leaves on the other side. The Plane tree leaves represent the alley of trees in Protivin from which the world-famous Platan beer is named after.
This sculpture was funded by Blackwood Town Council, supported by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
For further information, please contact Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Urban Renewal Team on 01495 235 067.
