The Unveiling and the Plaque

"The Hub" and the environmental improvements were officially celebrated on 2 October 2007.  All four schools and members of the local community were invited to the event.

A plaque commemorating the event was unveiled by Councillor Kendal.  The plaque was paid for by the Farnborough Central Townswomen's Guild in celebration of their fiftieth anniversary.

Scroll further down for a full background and photos of The Hub

The Hub

A sculpture by Richard Farrington

Background

"The Hub", a sculpture by Richard Farrington, was installed in North Camp in 2007. It is part of a wider scheme of environmental improvements which have been funded by Hampshire County Council's Regeneration of Older Urban Areas initiative (http://www3.hants.gov.uk/landscape-and-heritage/improving-towns/regeneration-older-urban-areas.htm)
and carried out in partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council (www.rushmoor.gov.uk).

Four North Camp schools and other community groups were involved in the design of the sculpture.

Environmental Improvements

The improvements at the junction of old Lynchford Road and Camp Road enhance one of the main entrances to North Camp from Napier Gardens and the military town. The work has been carried out using high quality materials in order to improve the appearance of the area and access to the shops and businesses. The improvements include new footpaths which lead to safer crossing points, the reduction of street "clutter", landscaping and "The Hub".

The initial proposals were displayed out on the site at a Public Exhibition in February 2006.

The existing site had a number of issues and constraints to consider when designing the layout and choosing the materials. These included protected trees, a BT phone box, changes in level and some of the land being in different ownership. All of these issues were considered carefully and addressed through the design process.

Construction methods and materials were chosen carefully so that the trees would not be damaged during construction. The silver grey paving blocks are permeable, allowing water / moisture to reach the tree roots beneath the ground surface.

The adjacent landowner dedicated part of their land to allow the improved alignment of the footpaths.

Access to and from the pedestrian crossing was maintained throughout the construction phase.

The works were carried out by local contractor Rocon Construction and the scheme was complete ready for the opening event in October 2007.

The Development of "The Hub"

Artists in Hampshire were invited to apply for a commission for a sculpture for the site in early 2006. The brief given to the artists was that their sculpture should make reference to the local history, geography and community of North Camp. It also needed to reflect the fact that the area is a key "gateway" to the shops and local businesses and provides an important link between North Camp and the military town. The sculpture also needed to be robust and involve local schools and the North Camp community in its design.

Three artists were shortlisted and their ideas were displayed at a public exhibition in North Camp in February 2006. Based on the views expressed at the exhibition Richard Farrington was then chosen by a selection panel of councillors, council officers and a representative from North Camp Matters.

Richard is a Hampshire sculptor who lives in Alton. He has been a sculptor since 1978 after studying at the Bath Academy of Art. Further details of his work are available on www.richardfarrington.com

In developing "The Hub" he was advised by officers from Hampshire and Rushmoor and by local historian Jo Gosney. He also worked with four local schools and presented his ideas to a public meeting of North Camp Matters.

Richard's idea for "The Hub" was inspired by a wheel that he saw on a World War I gun carriage at the Aldershot Military Museum, www.hants.gov.uk/aldershot-museum, and particularly by the wheel's hub. He also became interested in the horse drawn tram that briefly ran through this part of North Camp.

The sculpture was first developed as a wax model and then as a plywood and hardboard mock-up. This was tried out on site in order to get an idea of its required scale and where it should be positioned, and to see if it would look good from all angles. A 1:10 scale model was then made in mild steel and stainless steel.

Consideration was given to the foundation of the sculpture to avoid damaging the roots of the adjacent trees. A planning application was also made.

The finished sculpture is made of stainless steel and mild steel which will reflect the light and change colour respectively. The cast bronze roundels attached to the sculpture represent the ideas discussed with the local schools whilst the use of bronze relates to gun metal which is a traditional material in army equipment.

The sculpture sits on silver granite "tram lines" which act as both the foundations and as a reference to the horse drawn tram. The "tram lines" disappear into the ground and then re-appear further down the site.

The outside diameter of "The Hub" is 1.7 meters, its height 1.5 meters and it weighs 1,144 Kilograms.

Photo Gallery

The Bronze Roundels

Richard Farrington worked with pupils at four schools, discussing with them what they thought was distinctive about North Camp and what was important locally to them.

The schools were:-

Marlborough Infant School
South Farnborough Infant School
St Mark's Primary School
Wavell School

Their ideas were then developed by Richard and included on some of the roundels.

Roundels were also designed to credit the role of Hampshire County Council. These were all modelled in clay and then cast in bronze.

The roundels are:-

The Hub, North Camp, 2007
The Hampshire rose (Hampshire County Council)
A local type of tree which is representative of Rushmoor
A train - North Camp station
Samuel Cody - a Cody aeroplane and Concorde
A soldier - the North Camp
A house - "where I live"
A bird
Flowers
Marlborough Infant School - the clocktower
The Red Arrows - Farnborough Airshow
The bakery in North Camp
A parachutist - the Airborne Forces
The launderette in North Camp
Airships - Farnborough airfield

News Article

http://www.farnborough.co.uk/news/2010/2010913/the_hub_of_the_newlook_north_camp