Spring in the Park at Hedge End’s Dowds Farm

It was Spring in the Park at Hedge End’s Dowds Farm yesterday, Thursday 27 May.

To celebrate ‘what’s new’ in the 6 ½ hectare park a programme of events to involve the community took place throughout the afternoon and early evening, with the Mayor of Eastleigh, Cllr John Caldwell , speaking at 7.00pm.

He said, “This is a wonderful park and so convenient for the people who live here. It’s a lovely area and you must all use it.”

Town Clerk to the Town Council Kevin Glyn-Davies presented the Mayor with a hand-crafted quilt to commemorate the event.

The quilt was made during the day using the talents of over 50 children, the youngest three and at the opposite end of the age range two 15-year-old boys.

‘What’s new’ in the park includes the sculptures designed by artist Adrian Moakes for Eastleigh Borough Council’s Public Art project.

All five pieces have a special relevance: ‘Barleycorn’ serves as a reminder of the many crops that grew when the land was a farm; ‘Carp Shoal’ was created because the Romans developed Carp fishing in the lake; a New Stone Age flint axehead discovered by archaeologists on the site was the inspiration for ‘Axehead’, and the sculpture is decorated with mosaics as a reminder that axeheads were not only tools but highly prized possessions; ‘Vessel’ was designed to represent the many fragments of Late Iron Age pots and cooking utensils found on the site; and ‘Hedgerows and Houses’ remembers the double planting of hedgerows on the farm 400 years ago and celebrates the special place oak trees (used in the building of timber-framed buildings) have in the history of the farm.

 ‘Barleycorn’ and ‘Carp Shoal’ were created during sculpture workshops attended by pupils of Wellstead Primary School and commenting on the afternoon Adrian Moakes said, “’The best part of today was when the school came out and came on a sculpture trail with me to see what they had helped design.”

King John’s Morris Men from Southampton and Wellstead Community Choir provided entertainment, and activities included a guided history walk and a teddy bears picnic.

Dowds Farm resident Emma Riding said, “It’s great to see the community spirit with so many people here. Hopefully this will continue and it won’t just be a one-off thing. It’s been a great afternoon."

If you haven’t seen ‘what’s new’ at Dowds Farm, why not check it out – and we’d love to hear at Hedgeendpeople what you think of the sculptures.

And if you take some photos, post those too!

Spring in the Park at Dowds Farm was supported by Hedge End Town Council, Wellstead Primary School, Swaythling Housing Society, Hampshire County Council, The Salvation Army, 1 Community, and Eastleigh Borough Council.

See Hedgeendpeople story ‘Public Art at Dowds Farm, Hedge End’ for more information about the project.