Frank Bruce Sculpture Trail

This apparently little-known delight is a peaceful walk among lush forest. Large sculptures carved from timber or stone depict human emotions vividly and skilfully to haunting effect.

The sculptor, Frank Bruce, was self-taught, but won many awards. He was dyslexic and left school at age 13, working first in a sawmill. After his death, the display was donated to the Council and it is now managed by the National Trust. For the cost of parking your car, you can take a pleasant mile-long walk enjoying, the art as it reveals itself. The trail undulates gently through a quiet dell and it is suitable for any level of fitness.

Some of the wooden sculptures are now laid on their sides on the forest floor, slowly decaying away. This is exactly what Frank Bruce had intended, that the wooden sculptures made from reclaimed wood would eventually weaken and collapse, eventually rotting away entirely. This had made some of the tall wooden pieces dangerous, so they are now laid in place instead until nature fully reclaims them.