THE CHILTERN SCULPTURE TRAIL HAS CLOSED
This site remains as an online record of the Trail
The Chiltern Sculpture Trail was founded in 1990 with the intention of showing works not normally associated with an outdoor environment. With that aim, artists from a range of disciplines were commissioned to create new works which would spark debate or inquiry from the visitor. Using a broad range of materials, the artists combined periods of working on site with studio time. The resulting sculptures challenged preconceived thinking about what 'art in the landscape' should be.
The Chiltern Sculpture Trust, which administered the Trail, was dependent on Arts Council and local authority funding for many years. South Oxfordshire District Council supported the Trust until 2006 and with our last application to Arts Council South East being turned down in 2007, the Trust's financial state became unsustainable.
Maintained as a free public facility (perhaps one of the few 24 hour, 365 days a year, fully accessible arts venues in the country), the Chiltern Sculpture Trail could not be kept open without funds to provide for public liability insurance and regular upkeep. As the Trust ran out of funds, the Trustees had to act within the terms of the agreement with the owner of the site, Forest Enterprise, which required the site to be cleared of all sculptures and installations.
The majority of the Trail's sculptures were auctioned off in December 2007 and clearance of remaining installations was completed during the summer of 2008. The Trust’s records are now held with Oxfordshire County Records Office.
The Trustees would sincerely like to thank everyone who has supported and contributed to the Chiltern Sculpture Trail over the years.
For further information about the Chiltern Sculpture Trust, please contact: jhoole@appleinter.net
John Hoole -
Chair of Trustees -
December 2008
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