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Housebuilder unveils Salisbury sculptures

A leading housebuilder has unveiled three new sculptures at a housing development near Salisbury.

Persimmon Homes South Coast tasked sculptor Julieann Worrall Hood with creating artwork to celebrate the legend of the city’s dancing hare at its St Peter’s Place development.

According to South Wiltshire folklore, seeing a hare dancing under a full moon will bring good fortune to those lucky enough to witness it.

To pay homage, three stainless steel hare sculptures have been constructed at the development off Devizes Road.

Julieann said: “It has been fantastic to work alongside Persimmon Homes in what is such an exciting project.

“I love nature and wanted to celebrate this with my sculptures, as the development is part of such a beautiful landscape that blends into Salisbury Plain.

“The hares have been placed in the wonderful park that runs the length of the development, amongst wild flowers and trees with a fantastic view to Salisbury Cathedral. I’m so pleased with the end result.”

The three sculptures depict leaping, running and boxing hares, the largest of which is more than 2.5 metres in length.

Julieann enlisted the help of metal sculpture specialists, Art Fabrications, to make the sculptures look like 3D drawings and engineer them to withstand the elements.

She added: “It’s really satisfying to see the result of your hard work – and I really can’t thank the team at Art Fabrications enough. And who knows – maybe my hares will bring good luck to those that encounter them too!”

Matt Paine, managing director for Persimmon Homes South Coast, said: “We are thrilled to be able to team up with Julieann – and she really has helped bring St Peter’s Place to life with her stunning sculptures.

“The development boasts a stunning rural location and we wanted to celebrate that. The site has been designed to complement its existing surroundings, whilst conserving and enhancing the natural environment.

“We are also building a new primary school as part of the St Peters Place development and we have plans to launch a community art project with Julieann’s help, so this is really just the start of our relationship.

“The hare sculptures have made the development extra special and we know they will be appreciated and admired for years to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ross Watson .