New artwork celebrates the “Two Rivers” in Newbury

Our photo shows a major new public art installation on the side of a new multi-storey car park next to Newbury Railway station.

Locally brought-up sculptor, Michael Fairfax was commissioned to create it by Grainger PLC, developers of the Market Street project.

It is made up of 31 pieces of bronze, it is 10.3 metres high and 5.4 metres wide. The work took months to design and complete. Each piece weighs up to 25 kilograms and was cast at a foundry from wooden carvings handmade by Mr Fairfax. Then the pieces had to be carefully hoisted into place using a scissor platform, following advice from the project engineers on fixings and weights.  

Michael Fairfax is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors and has been producing public art works all over the world for over 30 years. He grew up near Hermitage and attended Downs school, Compton and Newbury College. He now lives in Somerset. In 1999 he advised Newbury Town Council on a sculpture trail around the town on the theme of “Flow”.

The sculpture is called “Two Rivers” and plots the flow of the Rivers Kennet and Lambourn through Newbury.