The Lighter Side
A photographic journey through joy at Hestercombe
Commissioned as part of Bampfylde 300, celebrated artist Richard Long’s artwork Jackdaw Line is set in Hestercombe’s magnificent Georgian Landscape Garden.
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Celebrated artist Richard Long’s artwork Jackdaw Line is set in Hestercombe’s Georgian Landscape Garden. The piece has been commissioned as part of Bampfylde 300, a year of exhibitions and events celebrating the life and work of Hestercombe’s former owner and landscape designer, Coplestone Warre Bampfylde.
Made using local Morte Slate, Jackdaw Line snakes through the landscape below the Box Pond at Hestercombe, and uses stone sourced from a quarry in the same valley.
Richard Long describes his work in general as a ‘love and celebration of the natural world’; and of this new sculpture he says,
‘I’m an opportunist – I was invited to make a work, not far from my home, in these beautiful gardens with a fantastic supply of stones, and the help of gardeners who turned their skilled hands to manning wheelbarrows.’
~ Richard Long
The meandering sculpture is a reminder for the artist of River of Stones, a work made at the eighteenth century Madhavendra Palace in Jaipur in 2018.
Originally programmed by Hestercombe Gallery for earlier in 2020, the commission had to be rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, Long has continued to make work from his home in Bristol, including Spring Line (2020) and Daydreaming Line (2020) both made by the act of walking near his home. This new stone work is Long’s first since the easing of the lockdown.
Richard Long’s Jackdaw Line can be seen at Hestercombe daily from 10am – 6pm. Just book gardens entry to gain access to the artwork - admission must be pre-booked online.
Richard Long has been in the vanguard of conceptual art in Britain since he created A Line Made by Walking over half a century ago in 1967, which established a precedent that art could be a journey, and changed how society views sculpture. Since then his fundamental practice of walking has led him to make forms, representations of time and space, utilising materials, such as stone, found in the landscape; these are often documented through his own photography, or by gallery text, stone and mud works. The artist has had a long relationship with Somerset since his childhood and has made numerous works in the county. In 2019 he made Those Blue Remembered Hills of Somerset, a text work based on a five day walk across Exmoor, the Polden, Brendon, Mendip, Blackdown and Quantock Hills.
Richard Long was born in Bristol, where he continues to live, and after studying at St Martin’s School of Art, London, went on to exhibit work in galleries across the globe. He has had over 260 solo shows and walked and made work on all seven continents. He represented Britain at the 37th Venice Biennale (1976) and won the Turner Prize in 1989, after being nominated four times. He received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture (1990), has been elected to the Royal Academy of Arts, London (2001), and was awarded Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in the field of sculpture (2009). In 2013 Long was made a CBE and was subsequently knighted in the 2018 Honours List.
A photographic journey through joy at Hestercombe
Explore the fascinating history of the Portman family and their Hestercombe estate.
Discover more than 40 captivating sculptures set across the gardens and woodland, as a summer Sculpture Exhibition transforms Hestercombe Gardens, from 31st May to 27th July 2025. Included with garden admission.
Curious about how nature can support your wellbeing?Discover the transformative power of flower essences in this workshop. Based in the stunning gardens of Hestercombe House, you'll learn how these natural remedies gently promote emotional and spiritual growth.
Do you want to experience the wellbeing benefits of being in nature whilst developing a new skill?Brought to you by Somerset Skills & Learning this workshop offers a great opportunity to sketch the wonderful scenery at the stunning Hestercombe Gardens. Sketching is the perfect way to experience and deepen your understanding of the natural world through your own unique, creative expression.
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We’re delighted to partner with Jackson’s for a special Plein Air Day on Friday 3rd October, for a creative day of outdoor art-making in the grounds of Hestercombe Gardens. Whether you're a seasoned painter or picking up a sketchbook for the first time, this relaxed plein air event is open to all artists and art-lovers of all ages and skill levels.