Story: Robert Shaw | Photo:Ann Smith
The council have removed the wooden head carved out of a rowan tree stump which appeared on Ellesmere Road North last year, saying it was not authorised and was a safety risk for road users.
Local residents have expressed their disappointment. One said she would really miss “looking out of my window and seeing a work of art.” Local businessman, Michael Shipley, has since claimed he commissioned the artwork to enrich the area. He said:
“It was inspired by the Stanwick Horse Mask – an artefact from the time of Christ when the Wincobank Hill Fort was built and Sheffield lay on the southern border of the land of Brigantes, ruled over by Queen Cartimandua. She was responsible for handing over a fleeing King Caractacus to the Romans. It was intended as a curiosity, a talking point, a landmark even.”
The original Stanwick Horse Mask, made from bronze, was found in Stanwick, North Yorkshire, the site of Queen Cartimandua’s royal palace, but is now in the British Museum.
Councillor Jack Scott, the Sheffield City Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Street Scene, said that the carved wooden head was removed “cleanly and without damage so that it can be used as a free standing piece of art elsewhere. The carving has been kept in storage at the Olive Grove Depot for safe keeping until it is re-claimed and sited anywhere off the highway for safe enjoyment. We hope to get a conclusion that everyone is happy with.