Terris Novalis

This artwork by Tony Cragg is a feature on the C2C cycle route at Consett. It consists of two measuring instruments; a theodolite and an engineer's level, faithfully reproduced an incredible twenty times life size, standing approximately six metres tall. Made from stainless steel and supported on animal feet stands as a monument to the history of the area and a prominent mile marker  cycle route. The animal feet that hold these instruments aloft were inspired by symbolic heraldry found on shields, coats of arms, plaques and similar items associated with land and ownership.

Cast in solid stainless steel, from originals carved by Tony Cragg, these large feet are beautiful. The work sited at Consett, marks the watershed between the upland / moorland landscape and the extremes of the Industrial Age. Built on the Stanhope and Tyne Railway Line - the earliest commercial railway in Britain - Terris Novalis marks what was once Europe's largest steel works.