Today's story is a modern one. I dare say you're all squinting at the picture and wondering what on earth it is. Well, from the back of my house I have a good view of Barrow Hill, this is a large mound thought to have been created in the volcanic eruptions in the last iceage. The Barrow overlooks Pensnett - known locally as God's country due to many residents habit of frequently invoking the Lord's name. In the shadow of the barrow is St Mark's church - the Black Country cathedral and on top of the Barrow is a cross.
The cross can be seen from all over the immediate area and is a powerful symbol for it's residents. I love to look out and see it on the hill.
Unfortunately, as with any structure placed on high ground it got struck by lightning. The residents immediately demanded a replacement. Nothing fancy, just the same as they'd always had, a simple cross.
The council decided to commission an artist and he designed the three crosses you see in the photo. As you can imagine there was uproar. No one was going to put those totem poles on their hill. The council were very embarressed and this was made worse when the srtist sadly died before the commission could be installed. They then felt they had to put them up as it was his last commissioned work.
After much negotiation and with great pomp and ceremony the crosses were put up but not on top of the barrow. Instead they stand at the base near St Marks.
The top of the hill has it's cross. Just what the people wanted in the first place. A simple cross.
3 comments:
Sometimes simple *is* better.
That is a sad coincidence that the artist died after doing the crosses as his final work. Glad a good compromise was found.
Very cool story! Sad about the artist though. What is the cross on the hill made of?
It's made of galvanised steel. The Black Country is famous for it's industrial heritage and the material of the cross reflects that.
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