News
Grand Entrances
Internationally-renowned artist Andy Scott created the two fabricated metal sculptures, of a horse and a mythological oak tree wood nymph, which will be sited at the entrances to the town centre, in Cathcart Street and West Blackhall Street.
Geoff Gregory of Riverside Inverclyde said: “The sculptures have been procured by Riverside Inverclyde working in conjunction with Andy Scott and with the landscape architects undertaking the environmental enhancements to both these streets.”
“These are the key areas of implementation of the physical improvements to be undertaken as a result of the award of £1.32 million from the Scottish Government's Town Centre Regeneration Fund for Greenock's entrance portals from the A8.”
Horses were the main mode of transport between the docks and the Drumfrochar Road refineries. The horses would pass Cathcart Street on their way there from the Albert Dock. The large horse sculpture was purchased for the entrance to Cathcart Street and is named after a cart horse called Ginger which drowned on 23 October 1889 in the old Albert Harbour. The incident took place some 500 yards from the proposed positioning of the sculpture.
Scott's second statue, Egeria the Wood Nymph is particularly relevant to Greenock as one school of thought is that the origin of the town is derived from a ‘Green Oak' tree that grew in the town centre.
The landscape work at both sites is expected to begin soon, with the sculptures the final piece in the jigsaw with work due to start in May and completion likely in three to six months.