Medium Walks Group – October Walk at Car Colston

Our October walk ventured to the east of Nottinghamshire, to the village of Car Colston, near Bingham, which is reputed to have the largest village green in England, with a handy pub at the edge.
We set off in perfect weather towards Bingham, and made our way to Scarrington, best known for the horseshoe sculpture, which is 17 feet high and 19 feet 6 inches in circumference at the base. It is the largest known stack of used horseshoes in the world, and the present pile of some 30,000 horseshoes was constructed between June 1945 and April 1965. Built by George Flinders, who was the blacksmith for 31 years at Scarrington Forge, it is estimated that the weight of the stack is 10 tons.

After the picnic stop, we continued to Screveton, where the ‘Sweepers’ are located on the edge of the village. These were made by Pirate Technics, a firm based in the village. It took eight artist six weeks designing the four figures, which took part in London’s Southbank Centre’s Festival of Neighbourhood.

These figures, with the tallest standing at 23 feet, represent an old woman and a young boy and have been dubbed ‘The Sweepers’. One of our members is included in the photo for comparison! They were made to celebrate the community spirit that followed the London riots two years ago, when neighbours helped each other by sweeping up the mess. Each has a metal pole through the bodies to keep them upright, and they are constructed with internal scaffolding supported by timber. This has been encased in chicken wire before being decorated with artificial topiary.
Another enjoyable and interesting walk in good weather, with thanks to John and Sue Beharall for organising it. Our next walk is at Eakring on November 21st.