Geograph - photograph every grid square

The 'Singing Ringing Tree' is a unique wind powered sound sculpture resembling a tree, which overlooks Burnley from its position high above the town on Crown Point. The site was once that of a rediffusion transmission station, complete with a run-down brick building and unused telegraph lines. The station was dismantled and the lines cut down to be recycled, to make way for the Tree that was to stand out against the stark, rolling landscape of the Pennines.

Singing Ringing Tree is a 3-metre tall structure constructed of stacked galvanised steel pipes of varying lengths, orientated to lean into the directions of the prevailing wind. Some of the pipes are primarily structural and aesthetic elements; others are tuneful with a cut across their width enabling the sound. As the wind passes through the different lengths of pipe, it plays different chords. To ensure that the tree sings in harmony, the pipes have been tuned according to their length by adding holes to the underside of each

Completed in 2006, the tree was designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu. In 2007, the sculpture won the National Award of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for architectural excellence.

Link (Archive Link ) Mid Pennine Arts
Link (Archive Link ) Burnley Borough Council