A Place of Peace to be Together.
You may like to walk Mill Pond Meadow Commemorative Wood. Planted by the Town Council and the Wakefield Woodland Trust in honour of the 353 service men who were killed in the 1914-1918 World War I.
The origins of the idea for this commission stem from a research project resulting in a book titled ‘Featherstone In the First World War’ which was funded through the neighbourhood renewal fund. The research and school engagement linked to this book kick-started the idea for a longer term project. A subsequent school engagement project to plant a commemorative wood at the crossroads coming from Streethouse into Featherstone was delivered in 2014 marking the 100th Centenary of WWI. 353 trees have been planted, one for each resident of Featherstone who lost his/her life. This site is called Mill Pond Meadow.
Internationally renowned artists, Cod Steaks have been commissioned by Featherstone Town Council to create a public art feature to be situated in a prominent location at the Mill Pond Meadow nature reserve to commemorate those from the town who gave their lives during the First World War. For more information and to see examples of their fantastic work please visit www.codsteaks.com.
We already have a design concept in place, which will stand majestically at the edge of Mill Pond Meadow. The War Horse will stand as a proud testimony to local heroes whose lives were lost in WW1. Moreover it will mark a sense of place in the meadow where people are drawn to meet, spend time in reflection or simply to enjoy the artwork and surroundings. This will result in a long lasting commemorative artwork of regional and national significance. A successful application to Arts Council England is currently funding a period of community engagement with local schools and residents.
