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Wish-Hounds, Croft Wood, Swindon

This unusual sculpture by Lou Hamilton was created in 1993, and erected in this public area near the Nationwide Building Society's cricket ground. It is probably best appreciated towards dusk. Walking around the sculpture and viewing the three black dogs from different angles is quite an intriguing experience, as their positions appear to change according to the angle from which they are viewed.

Wish-hounds also have other many other names, such as Yeth. It seems the word wish is from a Sussex word meaning marsh. Ghostly black dogs, usually with glowing red eyes, have been reported for hundreds of years, and probably date back to the mists of time. It is generally reckoned not to be a good thing to meet one. When this sculpture was first mooted, there were protests from some local Christians who objected to what they felt was pagan imagery and therefore, in their view, undesirable. The sculptor himself has written a poem, the last two lines of which read: They are the Guardians of the Earth's secret; Wish-hounds of the Old Land.

The sculpture itself has been constructed from powder coated scrap metal, concrete lettering and earthworks.