2012

SK2503 : The Golden Tower of Leaves, Pooley Country Park

taken 11 years ago, near to Polesworth, Warwickshire, England

The Golden Tower of Leaves, Pooley Country Park
The Golden Tower of Leaves, Pooley Country Park
This glittering, eyecatching sculpture was installed in 2011 atop the mound of colliery waste, to become the centrepiece of the country park.

The tower is a stack of aluminium strips formed in the shape of a birch leaf. The outer surface is covered in gold leaf SK2503 : Up close to The Golden Tower of Leaves, Pooley Country Park.
The colonisation of the mound of colliery waste by birch trees provides a symbol of regeneration, represented by the motif of the birch leaf. The coal was formed over millions of years from fossilised trees (although not birch, but never mind). The gold finish is a reference to the wealth that was created by and for those who exploited the coal. The gold tower, which forms the focal point of the park, is thus a marriage of sculptural form and rich symbolism.
Pooley Country Park

Coal has been mined in Polesworth at least since the time of the Norman abbey. By the 17th Century, the industry was firmly established, with many small pits being worked in and around the village. The extension of the Coventry Canal through Polesworth in 1790 and the opening of the Trent Valley railway in 1848 encouraged a steady growth in coal production.

In 1847 a coal mine was sunk on the Pooley Hall Estate, not far from the main House. The first deep shaft was sunk in 1848. The mine was completed in 1849 and coal began to be extracted in 1850. A wharf was constructed on the Canal for the Colliery and a branch line was built to connect it to the Trent Valley Line (now part of the West Coast main line), that ran through nearby Polesworth.

By 1900, work had become concentrated in just three sites: Pooley Hall, Birchmoor and Birch Coppice collieries. Pooley Hall Colliery (established in 1897) had one of the first pit head baths, opened in 1928. It was the first mine to generate its own electricity (from excess steam) in the early 1920s and later provided electricity for Polesworth, Tamworth and Birmingham.

In 1951 the mine workings from Alvecote, Amington and Pooley met underground. Pooley Hall Colliery merged with nearby Amington and Tamworth Collieries to form North Warwick Colliery, under which name it traded until its closure in 1965. Several deep mines in North Warwickshire closed as opencast mining became widespread after the Second World War. After closure parts of Pooley Hall, outbuildings and the colliery buildings had to be demolished due to mining subsidence. Mining carried on in the area until 1987, when Birch Coppice finally closed SP2599.

The Country Park was designated in [date] and opened in [date]. The 62.5 hectare site, one third of which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, contains several pools caused by mining subsidence as well as woodland habitats. Former Pooley and North Warwickshire miners have donated memorabilia, which can be seen in the Pooley Fields Heritage Centre. The great wooded mound of colliery waste commands extensive views. It is bounded on three sides by the canal, the M42 motorway and the West Coast main line railway. It is surmounted by a glittering golden column, the Golden Tower of Leaves, a public art project inaugurated in 2011.

Information combined from:
WCC Country Parks website: LinkExternal link
Artists Dalziel + Scullion website: LinkExternal link
Wikipedia: Pooley Hall LinkExternal link
Polesworth Parish website: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Robin Stott and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Lowlands Historic sites and artefacts Educational sites Former: Colliery Near: Tamworth Polesworth Postcode District: B78 Colour: Gold other tags: Public Art Country Park Gold Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Golden Tower of Leaves [4] Other Photos: · Up close to The Golden Tower of Leaves, Pooley Country Park ·
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SK2503, 145 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Robin Stott   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 11 November, 2012   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 10 August, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 2571 0372 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:37.8379N 1:37.2947W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 2573 0371
View Direction
Northwest (about 315 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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