The Golden Tree
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | High Street |
| Town: | Crawley |
| Parish: | Crawley |
| Council: | Crawley Borough Council |
| County: | West Sussex |
| Postcode: | RH10 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | South end of High Street at junction with Ifield Road |
| In the AZ book: | West Sussex |
| Page: | 10 |
| Grid reference: | F6 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Joss Smith |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Construction period: | 2006 |
| Installation date: | 2006 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Crawley Borough Council |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | A sculpture in three sections; a base representing an acorn cup; a central black granite plinth surmounted by a bronze axe-shaped sculpture atop of which are depicted two crows. |
| Iconographical description: | 'The artwork stands on the site of the town’s old market cross at a time when Crawley was an ancient junction and market place within the Weald covered once by dense Forests. The charcoal from these forests was used to create early iron tools such as the axe head depicted within the bronze section of the sculpture many of which have been found locally.(plaque) The black Granite Anvil represents the local history of iron working in the area. The base is a York Sandstone Acorn cup to depict the Jurassic limestone under the area and the fact that Crawley was once forest. The sculpture is topped by two crows to remind us that Crawley was originally called Crow Lea – a place of crows. |
| Inscription: | GOLDEN TREE JOSS SMITH – 2006 The artwork stands on the site of the town’s old market cross at a time when Crawley was an ancient junction and market place within the Weald covered once by dense Forests. The charcoal from these forests was used to create early iron tools such as the axe head depicted within the bronze section of the sculpture many of which have been found locally. The black Granite Anvil represents the local history of iron working in the area. The base is a York Sandstone Acorn cup to depict the Jurassic limestone under the area and the fact that Crawley was once forest. The sculpture is topped by two crows to remind us that Crawley was originally called Crow Lea – a place of crows. |
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Classification
| Categories: | Sculptural, Free Standing, Composite, Animal |
| Object type1: | Sculpture |
| Subject type1: | Figurative |
| Subject subtype1: | Group |
| Subject type2: | Symbolic |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Pedestal |
| Material: | Black granite |
| Height (cm): | 87 |
| Width (cm): | 74 |
| Depth (cm): | 74 |
| Part 2: | Sculpture (including crows) |
| Material: | Bronze |
| Height (cm): | 290 |
| Width (cm): | 160 |
| Depth (cm): | 60 |
| Part 3: | Acorn cup base |
| Material: | York Sandstone |
| Height (cm): | 49 |
| Width (cm): | 187 |
| Depth (cm): | 187 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 22/01/2008 |
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History
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References
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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