‘Hidden layers, hidden lives’, Ouseburn Farm

In creating this piece the history of the land was a major consideration as well as a reference to local people who had worked in the area in the past. The ford across the burn is identified on the 1896 Ordnance Survey map indicating its importance as a crossing at low tide. The tidal flow of the burn was important for transportation and influenced the arrival of a number of industries in the area.

A lead works occupied this site at one time, where many women worked with negligible safety precautions, and which left a legacy of contaminated land. Byker City Farm was established on the site in the 1970’s but was closed whilst the land was decontaminated in 2002. Ouseburn Farm has quietly grown since this time. The layered hedge was chosen to illustrate the many uses of the land deep in the heart of the Ouseburn Valley.