Post by Dave on Jul 19, 2015 16:53:12 GMT
Brunel Woods & Brunel Dance 19th July 2015
Over the last month or so since the football season ended, I have been going for walks in places around Torbay I have never visited before. On so many of my past walks over the years I have come across many structures that were built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
I loved walking under his great viaduct pillars in Longtimber Woods near Ivybridge, also all the remains of his viaducts on the old Plym Line. Not forgetting some great long, dark railway tunnels I have also walked through that this great man built.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel once planned to retire to Watcombe and he commissioned the design of a garden and house overlooking St Marychurch. The garden was created but sadly Brunel died before the house was built. The garden has become woodland but many of the species and features of Brunel's time survive. Whilst working in this part of the country on his railway systems, he collected together, between 1847 and 1858, one hundred acres of land.
Before Brunel’s death he had already imported large quantities of Oregon Pine timber and the foundations of the house had been laid, so a buyer had to be found who was prepared to work with what was already done. It was briefly owned by John and Robert Vicary but the site stood idle until acquired by paper manufacturer James Crompton in 1873. He re-designed the exterior appearance from Brunel's Italianate style to the French style and built the present house on Brunel's foundations
In 1993 Torbay Council marked the regeneration of the woods (after the storms of 1990) with the commission of the sculpture known as Brunel’s dance. The central column carved from Sequoia represents Brunel’s engineering achievements, the Brunel and fire figures are carved from Douglas fir and the water figure is carved from Cedar; fire and water represents steam.
I drove over to Torquay and parked right across from the entrance to the woods and very soon I came across “Brunel’s dance” the figures and the centre piece were much bigger than I expected them to be and I was so pleased they do not seem to have suffered from the hands of mindless vandals. The big main piece is over 58 feet tall and it is a great carving to look at. It is starting to rot a bit at its base; I hope some repairs get carried out on it soon.
This wood was nearly completely destroyed in that great 1990 storm, so many of the big trees were blown down, but thankfully a few did survive. The wood is not very large, but it does take some time to walk around if you walk along all the paths that can be found in it.
I only saw three other people all afternoon, one couple out walking and a man walking with his dog, I’m glad I took the time to fully explore the wood, another one crossed of my list.
