Mayflower sculpture installation

The piece of public art – which is seven metres high, seven metres long and three metres wide – has been commissioned by Tendring District Council (TDC) to promote Historic Harwich as one of the key destinations marking next year the 400th anniversary of the sailing. Captain Christopher Jones, the ship’s master, was from Harwich as were several crew members, and the ship itself was registered in the town. Harwich is celebrating its link to the historic voyage with a year of celebratory events. Designed by artist husband and wife collaborators Hanman Murphy, the sculpture has been installed in Parkeston, on the first roundabout people exiting Harwich International Port come to – and the aim is to encourage people to turn left to visit the historic town rather than heading straight down the A120 to the rest of the country. Inspiration for the materials came from Daniel Defoe’s early 18th Century work A tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain where locals referred to the spring at Beacon Hill as “turning wood into iron”, this quote will encircle the globe plinth. Madelaine Murphy, one of the artists, said: “We wanted to create to create a structural skeleton that evokes the historic starting point of the Mayflower story, represented as structurally and proportionally accurate as possible. The globe reflects this interpretation of iron bearing waters, and the international legacy of the Mayflower.”
Source Tendring District Council https://tinyurl.com/y55wc7fd