Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens and the Surrey Sculpture Society have launched a new collaboration for 2024, showcasing local artists from Sussex and Surrey.
The Society, which has previously exhibited during the summer months at the West Sussex estate, has designed and curated a new Art Walk featuring over 100 sculptures. The exhibition will run year-round in the Grade I Listed gardens, with admission included in the entrance price to Leonardslee.
The design of the Art Walk and the artful location of each sculpture take advantage of the setting with its diverse range of trees and shrubs, often rare and threatened in the wild. The trail winds down to the estate’s seven lakes and conveniently ends with a return shuttle service.
Visitors are treated to an extensive exhibition of affordable sculptures, starting from just £175, in a range of styles and sizes, suitable for almost any garden or home. The works are by both established and emerging artists and are made in a wide range of materials including bronze, resin, glass, metal, wood, stone, ceramic and found objects.
As well as an outdoor trail, there is a new indoor sculpture exhibition situated within Leonardslee House with plans to expand the collection further into its sister property, Mannings Heath Estate just three miles away. All artwork is for sale.
The venue, with its 240 acres of gardens and lakes, parkland and forests, has a range of visitor facilities for snacks, lunch and dinner, as well as a gift shop, garden centre and a ‘magical world in miniature’ at the popular Beyond the Dolls’ House exhibition.
Adam Streeter, general manager at Leonardslee Lakes and Garden, says:
“Leonardslee is becoming a centre for the arts in the Southeast. With the opening of the new sculpture trail, we will be launching a programme of events for children and schools in 2024, with guided tours and activities, so that everyone can fully enjoy the art in the special setting of the gardens. There are also plans for workshops where visitors can meet with the artists to create their own personal pieces of art.”
Surrey Sculpture Society exhibition manager, Abby Martin, says:
“It's a joy to work with the team at Leonardslee who are as passionate about bringing art and sculpture to the public as the society. The opportunity to take our relationship with the estate to a new level is very exciting. This year-round venture will allow us to exhibit sculptures for longer, rotating the works so that there are always new features, new works and new artists to see, to keep the trail alive and evolving.”
Admission to the Surrey Sculpture Society’s Sculpture Art Walk Trail is included in the entrance price to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, Horsham, RH13 6PP.
The venue is open daily from 9am to 4pm, off-peak in the autumn and winter, and 9am to 5pm in the spring and summer.
For details of entrance fees and visitor information: visit: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk
For information on the Surrey Sculpture Society visit www.surreysculpture.org.uk
