The Seated Man, Castleton Rigg, Sunday 13th August.
10th April 2019 Update: The Seated Man has without notice been moved to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and is no longer in place in Westerdale. Disappointing news given that it was originally suggested it would be in place for five years! It’s been so popular it is a shame that it wasn’t to be made a permanent feature! See https://ysp.org.uk/ for further news on when the artwork will be installed and publicly available.
A three metre high statue of a Seated Man has appeared in one of the most dramatic locations on the North York Moors. Rumours abound that it looked like an exiled Jeremy Corbyn sent to the moors to reflect; I knew I had to check it out. With the summer heather season in full swing, it is definitely the best time of year and little excuse is needed to get out into the North York Moors right now!
The painted bronze statue was created by artist Sean Henry and commissioned by the David Ross Foundation. David Ross is the co-founder of the UK company Carphonewarehouse and owns the land the statue stands on at Castleton Rigg in Westerdale.
The Seated Man was put up in June 2017, and is so far proving to be a big draw for tourists and visitors prepared to hike the half a mile from the nearest road to see it. The figure gazes out over Westerdale contemplating the landscape and is due to remain in place for five years.
Sean describes the artwork as “The tension between the making and staging of figures that seem to belong to the real world and the degree to which they echo our experiences & sympathies.”
The Shots
The Location
Postcode YO21 2NW will get you in to the general area.
The Seated Man is on top of Castleton Rigg above Westerdale, it is visible from the road out of Castleton towards Hutton-le-Hole.
There’s some limited (free) parking on the roadside and a 0.5 mile walk uphill over some reasonably rough but not insurmountable moorland terrain to get to the top.
10th April 2019 Update: The Seated Man has been moved and is on his way to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park https://ysp.org.uk/ it is no longer installed looking out over Westerdale, a great shame!