Spalding welcomed some familiar faces—in stone, that is—as sheep and cattle sculptures returned to the town centre, recalling its rich agricultural heritage. The eagerly awaited unveiling event for this phase of the MARK-IT Trail took place on Saturday 15th March 2025 in Hall Place, Spalding.
Chair of Spalding & District Civic Society John Bland welcomed the crowd of around 150 people before giving some background of the historic significance of livestock to the town of Spalding and the wider South Holland area and work of the Society in recalling the rich agricultural heritage by means or public art. He also thanked many of those who had contributed to the before inviting Rt Hon. Sir John Hayes, MP for South Holland & the Deepings who is a member of the Spalding & District Civic Society to formally launch the unveiling process. Sir John was supported by Catherine Bettinson of the Lincoln Red Cattle Society who provided some background on both the Lincoln Red breed of Cattle and the Lincoln Long Wool breed of sheep.
The Sheep were then unveiled by Sir John Hayes, assisted by the Chair and Vice Chair of South Holland District Council, whilst at the same time Catherine Bettinson assisted by Nick Jones, Creative Director of Transported unveiled the cattle.
The MARK-IT trail is intended to recall the town’s rich agricultural heritage, including its historic livestock markets, which played a significant role in shaping the local economy and community. The Society hopes that the sculptures will inspire people to discover more about South Holland’s historic character and agricultural roots, which shaped the Spalding of today.
The MARK-IT Trail brings this history to life with sculptures based on the iconic Lincolnshire Long Wool sheep and Lincoln Red cattle—breeds synonymous with the town’s agricultural identity.
The sheep installation includes six white Cadeby Limestone figures, while the New Road cattle sculptures feature a bull and cow, each carved from red sandstone. Together, they weigh over 12 tonnes, making for an impressive sight.
The Society hopes that that people will appreciate the beauty of these animals in their sculptural form thanks to the talents of Graeme Mitcheson. Already they have been featured on regional television, and we feel that over the next few weeks news of them will spread. Graeme is a highly acclaimed sculptor, whose public artworks can be seen throughout the country. We feel they will become a visitor attraction in their
own right that people will want to visit Spalding to see. Whilst in Spalding, we hope that they will discover our other commissions Portrait of a Town and The Hiring Statue. We hope that they will also want to explore the town to take in Ayscoughfee Hall Museum & Gardens, St Mary & St Nicolas Church and the fine Georgian buildings overlooking the river and the unique independent shops the town has to offer.
This phase of the MARK-IT Trail was made possible through support from South Holland District Council, funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, and generous private donations to the Spalding & District Civic Society.
Now that it has been demonstrated that we can deliver high quality artworks of this scale to budget and to time. We therefore hope that it will unlock future funding to support the Society in delivering the further works that the Society has long envisaged since the idea of a “Market Art Project” was first conceived by the Society back in 2009.
John Bland, Chair of Spalding & District Civic Society said
“It was joyful to watch children running around the sheep sculptures or even sitting on them. Some of the Councillors also showed their inner childhood! It was just the kind of reception we had hoped for! They were designed with that in mind. Whilst the bull and heifer are much bigger so I would caution that people take care, it is also possible to sit on them as Graeme did on Saturday”
Nick Jones of Transported said
“We are delighted and grateful to all our partners and the public for making Saturday’s unveiling event such a success. The town centre had a wonderfully positive atmosphere, and it was a joy to see so many people — children, parents, and grandparents alike — taking part in our needle felting and stone painting activities. It was heartening to watch visitors engaging with the sculptures, whether by snapping pictures of the cattle or perching on the sheep. As we passed by, we overheard snippets of conversation about the statues’ beauty, Graeme’s remarkable talent, and even people giving the figures playful nicknames. It’s fantastic to see the public already embracing these new additions and viewing them as part of the town’s landscape.“
Sculptor Graeme Mitcheson said
It was a brilliant day. We were blessed with the weather and the sculptures have been well fantastically well received by humans and animals alike”
This phase of the MARK-IT Trail was made possible through support from South Holland District Council, funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, and generous private donations to the Spalding & District Civic Society.
Transported is a not-for-profit organisation and is funded by Arts Council England. Spalding & District Civic Society is a membership based registered charity.
A copy of John Bland’s speech can be found here.