MITCHELL HOUSE: Fine art sculptor

Mitchell is a local fine art sculptor, whose bronze sculptures have been exhibited throughout the UK. Mitchell captures the movement and the ‘essence of life’ of his subjects through initial drawings and observation. From these he creates clay models ready for mould making and final casting. Mitchell’s Art Trail sculptures are preceeded on the Trail by metre high blue lettering. His three cold cast plaques depict intricately detailed scenes from the town’s seafaring history: a lifeboat rescue, a wartime beach scene and an example of the famous gansies worn by the fishermen.

www.mitchell-house.co.uk

COLIN SEAL: Artist and signwriter

Colin is a local artist and sign writer with many years of international experience. Successful commissions for Disney USA and a series of trompe l'oeil paintings in America, led to the honour of a presidential unveiling for one of his works. In addition to the three Art Trail murals: Shipwreck, Bird Life and Sea Life, many of his signs and murals can be found throughout the town. Colin has also voluntarily completed murals and signage for the Poppy Line.

TONY EADSON: Multi-media artist and sculptor

Tony is a local artist whose work is material inspired,with the creation of new and innovative structures from recyclable sources. Influenced by available materials, he aims to produce quality structures and artefacts that are both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally integrated. Tony’s work is exhibited in galleries both locally and throughout Norfolk, his furthest flung exhibit being in Broome, Western Australia. Tony’s high quality, recycled sea defence structures for the Art Trail, comprise a spinal skeleton, a giant ground compass and a viewing monolith.

There are several shipwrecks around the coast. This mural shows a typical wreck, together with abundant detail of local sea life in the area. Look for the hidden seahorse, the only non-native sea life in the mural, which was requested by a visitor for her autistic grandson. Colin included the public in his work and a great number of people were able to put a touch of paint into the picture and feel part of the whole process.

You won’t have difficulty finding the basking shark.

The mural continues to the other side of the steps, linked by the Anchor rope.

Before going on to the West Prom, take a look at “The Tank” where, in the summer months, there are colourful displays of Children’s art, from the Sheringham High School.

The Beach Cafe shows Colin Seal’s trompe l’oeil artwork on the front and side of the building.

On to the West Prom.....

These three metre high letters were created by artist and sculptor Mitchell House. This is a Sheringham motto, dating from a holiday advertisement from the 1900s, encouraging visits to the seaside town.

Carry on to the Two Lifeboats pub, where Colin Seal’s mural of bird life in the area brightens the wall. This is often one of the first areas seen by visitors. Notice the use of the original concrete for depicting the cliffs

Bird details

Another 'before' scene, preparing for Mitchell House's plaques...

...and after

This beautiful sculpture is tactile, as well as visual. You can’t help but touch the surface. It shows the rescue of the crew of the Ispolen by the Henry Ramey Upcher Lifeboat crew in 1897. The ship was lost but the men were saved. The verse surrounding the sculpture is taken from “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Detail from the plaque shows the quality of this cold-cast resin sculpture.

If you would like a short diversion from the Art Trail, just round the corner from the sculpture, at the top of the slope, is the Fisherman’s Heritage Centre. The centre incorporates the original lifeboat house of The Henry Ramey Upcher, which was a private lifeboat. You can also walk through to the Peter Coke Shell Gallery.

Artist: Anne Webster

Crossing over the bridge, you will come to Mitchell’s second plaque. “Fishermen in their Gansies” (gansies being an old word for jerseys). Sheringham fishermen’s gansies always had vertical stripes, each one being a particular pattern per household. Sometimes a hooped pattern was put on the sleeve to denote the number of children in the family.

On the left of the picture is Big John Craske, who ran the whelk coppers. On the right is James ‘Squinter’ West, known also as ‘Red-eye West’.

A little further along is Mitchell’s evocative ‘Sheringham at War’ plaque. How appropriate was Winston Churchill’s speech to those who were living near the coast and who were acting as its protectors.

Now to another painting of Colin Seal’s along the West Prom. His stunning mural of ‘Seals at Play’, with an explosion of mackerel swimming out of danger!

Carry on past Ellie’s cafe, closed in the winter but good coffee and refreshments in season.

Up the steps to The Leas and to the beautifully finished, recycled sea defence timber sculptures by Tony Eadson.

In the foreground is a spinal skeleton of blocks, using four varieties of wood: Jarra, Greenheart, Iroko and Oak. These were carefully selected to show a range of colours. They are extremely hard and durable woods; so hard that a number of tools were broken when the sculptures were being prepared.

The giant compass is pointing directly North. There is nothing but sea between the coast and the North Pole, which is 2,222 nautical miles away (approximately 2,557 land miles).

The eye-view monolith is focussed on the Sheringham Coast watch building.

It’s fun looking at each other through the monolith eye-view hole! (Children may need to be lifted up!)

Finally, at the opening of the trail, it was up, up and away…

…and congratulations to the artists who are: