Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)
  • Giant's Chair near Jay's grave [Widecombe-in-the-Moor] being dismatled today :(
  • julioflo
    Free Member

    So today's the day the Giant's chair on the way from Grimspound to Jay's Grave get's put into storage. I wonder where it will pop up again?

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8844000/8844491.stm

    In honour of it, here are a couple pics of it being used a giant bike rack back in June!

    yunki
    Free Member

    Will it go though…?
    It's been in danger of imminent demolition for so long now that I find it hard to believe that it's stay of execution is finally over..

    Hopefully it will stubbornly and defiantly remain there for a good while longer yet..

    Brown
    Free Member

    According to the story, it's already been removed 🙁

    julioflo
    Free Member

    As Brown says, the news article says it is in the process of being dismantled today and placed into storage. A possible return at Haldon was hinted at?

    sweepy
    Free Member

    Im no art expert, but I dont understand this trend for ginormous 'works of art'. Its a **** chair, just because its big doesnt make it clever. Artists today are just lazy. In the old days you did the work yourself and it looked like something, now they expect to hand in any old shite, often made by someone else, and get paid.

    tails
    Free Member

    I'm unsure of the significants of this one, but in Italy's furniture production area many producers would make bigger and bigger chairs in an one up-manship type fashion.

    slugwash
    Free Member

    I loved to sit up there, contemplating the Moor, the World, and the Universe and realising just how small and insignificant I am in the big scheme of things 😉


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    I'm suprised that they haven't found anywhere else for it like the Dartington Estate or Haldon Forest or somewhere 😕

    snaps
    Free Member

    I went to Austria & found this – bit of a surprise

    el_creedo
    Free Member

    Sweepy, have you been to see it?

    It's handmade out of local oak, no metalwork – all old-school pegs etc to hold it together. The guy who made it is a very talented local craftsman and has made this at his own cost, and sought to make no money from it being up (on his land), just did it because he hoped people would like it – to give something back to the landscape he loves.
    The view there is incredible, but i bet half the people who walk that path failed to notice it before the chair was installed. So it's focused and accentuated a wonderful view, in a very attractive and relevant manner.
    Never mind Art, it's just a nice thing to have and to see.

    bassspine
    Free Member

    bl00dy philistine nimby batsard planners. I really liked that chair, although I never really thought of it as art, more as a really nice thing.

    crispybacon
    Free Member

    Crikey, I only went past it last Sunday on our ride to Lustleigh Cleave & back.

    I'll miss it cos it always surprises the new guys riding with us who don't know it's there. A sad day indeed & I hope it reappears somewhere else tho.

    The view down the valley ……..

    Drac
    Full Member

    That would make some cracking logs for my burner.

    neilforrow
    Full Member

    +1 el_creedo

    -1 Sweepy

    tails
    Free Member

    why they removing it looks solid enough from the images?

    Del
    Full Member

    afaik it is just a planning thing. most locals are in favour of it. it had a stay of execution, and they had hoped to get retrospective permission, but no good.
    a lovely thing – shame.

    neilforrow
    Full Member

    a big view like that needs a big chair.

    they are taking it down beacuse it is too popular. kin' idiots.

    sweepy
    Free Member

    Fair do's, I can go along with that.

    yunki
    Free Member

    this big chair in such a big landscape is spot on..

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    Was it much used by giants?

    I can see the point of providing this facility if it's in an area with a significant giant population, but realistically if the only people sitting on it are normal size it would be better to have a normal-sized chair or bench there. In these time of austerity, we can ill-afford to have giant chairs standing idle on the offchance that a giant my want to sit on it.

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    I saw it Sunday thankfully. Not every expression of emotions and thought is explainable or accountable. Not every object has function. It's art – you have to experience it in context to get the vibe. I'm very sorry it's gone as I always looked forward to passing it, and it added to the quality of the landscape IMO.

    I think the problem was visitor parking space.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    planning permission!?

    FFS.

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    I had never seen or heard of this before but looking at the photos it looks absolutely fantastic, and the fact it highlights a stunning view makes it even more so….. shame its going down 😥

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Landowners used to put up all sorts of follies and buildings for no other reason than to make a feature of the landscape. Nowadays such buildings are protected and people fight tooth and nail to keep them in order, but when someone now wants to put up something, at no cost whatsoever to the taxpayer, that causes no harm, and is liked by the locals, then it's not allowed to stay. Perhaps the landowner ought to apply for a windturbine in its place…
    Frakkin' paperpushers know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

    skidartist
    Free Member

    In the old days you did the work yourself

    What old days were these?

    trailmonkey
    Full Member

    I like the chair, it looks great and it has become a real attraction. It's demise is typical of the backwards looking attitude of the Dartmoor NP nazis.

    On the plus side, the trail was getting really badly eroded from all of the footsteps and the lovely sinewy singletrack was becoming a rather squirelly rut. Also we'd lost the trail as a fast blast as it had suddenly become busy with foot traffic to the chair.

    Bad news on the whole but at least we've got the trail back to sweeten a bitter pill.

    simonralli2
    Free Member

    This is a shame really as when you go there it is not in an obtrusive position, i.e. it really enhances the location and does not spoil the view. I am not a fan of many of these types of installations, but the chair was excellent.

    morpheus
    Free Member

    where would be a good place for the chair

    walking distance from a car park, east of castle drogo, mam head. hill above widecombe ?

    mr monkey, the trail has been repaired even the boggy section which was fun.

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    The main problem is that it is so popular that it is attracting hordes of people and the local area simply doesn't have the infrastructure to deal with increased traffic, toilet provision, access.. etc.

    Putting it somewhere like Haldon would sort lots of these problems but it is a shame to remove such an inspired addition to the scenery.

Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)

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