Days Out In the North West ·
Dream ·
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Visiting Dream, Sutton Manor
For the past 11 years we have travelled up and down the M62 for both business and pleasure and every time we pass 'The big white head' I always say we must go and visit and see what it is all about, but we never had until last weekend. We are always looking for ideas for walks in the North West so we headed to Sutton Manor. The big white head which is actually called Dream is situated in the old Sutton Manor Colliery grounds and was created in 2009.
Dream is located in Sutton Manor, St Helens and was the result of St Helens entering Channel 4's 'The Big Art Project' in 2008. Artist Jaume Plensa visited the site and had a vision of a piece of art coming out from the ground. He decided on a neck and head of a woman with her eyes closed as if she is meditating. He later decided to base the sculpture on a 9 year old girl representing the idea of 'future'.
Sutton Manor Woodland is very popular with dog walkers and visitors to Dream. There is a car park and plenty of road parking surrounding the area.
When entering Sutton Manor via the main entrance sign posts for Dream are dotted along the pathways however if you wish to explore the woodlands and circular paths you can choose a variety of ways.
Some of the paths are a little steep and not very well surfaced however most of the routes are accessible.
The Dream Statue is located in the middle of the woodlands and is very hard to miss. Other than visiting the statue there are no other facilities at Sutton Manor Woodland but it was a very enjoyable walk.
Facts about Dream
Designed by world-famous, award-winning Catalan artist Jaume Plensa
Standing on a plinth, Dream is 20 metres, 66 feet high and is fifty times life size
The sculpture weighs 373 tonnes and sits on the site of Sutton Manor Colliery
Made from brilliant white pre-cast concrete with Spanish dolomite, the whitest marble
The plinth in the shape of a miner’s tally is 17 metres in diameter, made of 36 units
The casting of Dream by Evans Concrete of Derbyshire took a total of sixty days
A total of 6160 man hours were spent in constructing the sculpture
54 different panels each weighing 9 tonnes comprise Dream’s head
The supporting piles go 38 metres underground, nearly twice Dream’s height
An estimated 55 million vehicles pass Dream each year on the M62
We really enjoyed our visit to Dream however I'm not sure whether we would visit again nor would I recommend travelling a great distance to visit. I think if the woodlands itself was to undergo a makeover to include maybe a cafe, toilet facilities, children's play area and other facilities to make a trip worthwhile then I do think it would attract more visitors per year.
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Michelle
Michelle