insideKENT Magazine Issue 87 - June 2019 | Page 142

OUTDOORART
A R T I N THE GREAT OUTDOORS CONT.
Kings Wood (Challock)
With 1,500 acres to call its own, Kings Wood in
Challock is one of Kent’s largest woodland spaces,
and is used for both recreation and timber
production. It is also used as a base for some
incredible sculptures, and you can follow a 3.5-
mile trail that will show you all of the wonderful
pieces. Ideally, any sculpture that is commissioned
for the trail (and new ones are often brought in)
are made using found materials from the wood
itself wherever possible. The works are spread
throughout Kings Wood, and some, such as the
play area art, is designed specifically for children
to enjoy and interact with.
The Waiting Miner (Deal)
The Waiting Miner was commissioned
by the Central Electricity Generating
Board in order to commemorate those
who had died in the coal mines of Kent.
It was originally located outside of
Richborough Power Station, but when
that closed there was a fierce battle to
decide where the statue should be
relocated to. Eventually it was decided
that outside the National Coal Board’s
offices in Dover was the best place. In
the end, though, when the National Coal
Board was disbanded, the Waiting Miner
was left, alone, on the seafront, seemingly
out of place. Campaigns were mounted
to have the statue moved to a more
appropriate place, and in 2010 it was
relocated once again, this time to
Fowlmead Country Park (now known as
Betteshanger) in Deal, which had been
built on an old coal field.
142