About this walk This 3.5 mile linear walk, taking approx.1 - 1.5 hours, follows the Irwell Sculpture Trail from Ramsbottom Station (large car park), to Irwell Vale Station, enabling you to combine a ride on the train with a countryside walk. Gradients are gentle but it can be muddy in places especially after wet weather. If you want a longer walk of about 5.5 miles, which will take about 2.5 hours, you can use this walk together with leaflet 4, and then you can walk-ride from Ramsbottom to Rawtenstall Station. Hourly trains run at weekends, allowing return from Irwell Vale Station or Rawtenstall Station. Midweek, useful bus services are 90 and 481 Rawtenstall to Bury via Edenfield and Ramsbottom (half hourly) plus 273 Rawtenstall to Bolton via Edenfield and Ramsbottom (hourly). From Irwell Vale this involves a half mile walk, east-wards up the valley side, past the church to Market Street, Edenfield. In the Picture - Richard Caink 1997 Materials: European larch and elm. The sculpture comprises a large scale picture frame and several carvings that frame the view along the valley. The visitor can step into the picture as both viewer and subject matter. The frame refers to traditional landscape painting of the 18th & 19th Century, often used to display land ownership. The carvings are artefacts that relate to the industry in the valley and the loom-wreckers rebellion of 1826 at Chatterton Mill. Remnant Kings - lan Randall 1997 Materials: Ash, steel and dry stone walling. The sculpture refers to the remnants of the once thriving textile and mining industries of the area and what may develop in the Valley for the future. The large timber sections made from local ash are cradled in cogs. This structure suggests movement, throwing the timber forward and releasing the stones within its folds, like seeds bringing new growth. "Remnant Kings stands proud on the hillside watching over its kingdom waiting for its chance to scatter". Tilted Vase - Edward Allington, 1998 Materials: Bronze. The IST public commission in this country by internationally renowned Sculptor Edward Allington. The sculpture for Ramsbottom draws on the legacy of the Industrial Revolution in the Valley and is a "Monument to that past and a symbol of continuity and of change for the future". The sculpture is a fountain in the form of a vase, tilted, spilling water into the ground. The vase is classical in shape reflecting the architecture, built in sections and bolted together to look like a machine. The River - Hetty Chapman & Karen Allerton 1997 Materials: Etched stainless steel and railway sleepers. The River is an 88 metre path which meanders through the site ending in a platform to watch the passing trains. The sculpture contains work created by local people: poems celebrating the river by Lucy Wilton and Richard Renzulli; and the illustrated story of Jacob's Ladder, a local beauty spot, by Ramsbottom Inters Youth Group. A collection of poems created for the project can be found at Ramsbottom Heritage Society. The Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail has been developed along a 30-mile route up the Irwell Valley, formerly known as The Irwell Valley Way. Sculptures have been appearing along the Trail since 1987 from the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays following the river to its source on the South Pennine Moors. Thanks to an Arts Lottery award, there are currently 20 sculptures along the Trail, with a further 30 proposed by 2002, celebrating the area's heritage, culture and landscape. < back | next >   For further information, please contact: Rossendale Tourist Information Centre, Kay Street, Rawtenstall. Tel: 0 1706 226590 Bury Tourist Information Centre Market Street, Bury. Tel: 0161 2535111 Clifton Country Park Visitor Centre Clifton Hall Road ' Swinton. Tel: 0161 7934219