Walk to The Dream Sculpture at Sutton Manor Woodlands, Merseyside

The ‘Dream’ sculpture at Sutton Manor woodlands is a 20 metre high sculpture that resembles a girl’s face located on the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helens, Merseyside. Constructed in 2009, it was designed by world-renowned artist Jaume Plensa and can be seen from miles around. It sits amongst newly established woodlands and is served by a network of paths from all directions. It is definitely the highlight of a very pleasant hour long walk.

Walking at Sutton Manor Woodlands

With the current lock-down restrictions that have been imposed on us all this last few months, that hour in the day where you head outside for some much needed fresh air and exercise has become sacrosanct. And while initially this exercise had to start from the doorstep, now the restrictions are being gradually eased, we are able to travel a bit further afield.

Walking to the ‘Dream’ sculpture at Sutton Manor Woodlands is a local excursion for me. With just a short 10 minute car journey standing in our way, Sutton Manor has been a regular walk I’ve done since living in nearby Warrington. I loved walking my dog Roger here as there is extensive off-lead landscape for him to explore and clearly many others think the same as I rarely meet anyone without a dog.

The paths around Sutton Manor are mostly paved with a fine gravel surface, are well maintained and easy to negotiate. There are some substantial gradients involved however so it’s not easily accessible to wheelchair users.

Amongst the woodlands you’ll find picnic tables and benches to stop a while, sit and enjoy the views. It’s hard to believe when walking round the very green and attractive woodlands that until recently the area was a blackened landscape of pits and slag heaps.

So, just how did the transformation happen?

History of Sutton Manor Colliery

Coal mining began at Sutton Manor in 1910 with the height of production peaking in 1964 when 1500 tonnes of coal were produced weekly by a 1400 strong workforce.

The colliery eventually closed in 1991 following financial losses leaving 40 year’s worth of coal beneath the surface. The original gates to the colliery can still be seen by the mini roundabout on the approach road (Jubits Lane) from the M62 j.7.

Thousands of tonnes of soil were imported from the construction of the Trafford Centre in 1997 to cap the spoil heap and make it suitable for tree planting.

In 2001, the Forestry Commission started managing the land with the aim of developing a woodland oasis from the colliery wasteland. They planted 50,000 young trees in a mix of Alder, Willow and Ash. You can read much more about the development of Sutton Manor here.

Clearly the biggest draw to walking at Sutton Manor woodlands is to see the monumental sculpture called ‘Dream’ which stands at the highest point. While the views of the surrounding area from the summit are now largely marred by tree growth, there are nice views to be seen on the approach paths – across Cheshire and Merseyside towards Fiddlers Ferry power station in one direction and over St Helens and Lancashire in another. On a clear day you can see as far as the Clwdian Hills and Snowdonia.

The Big Art Project that Commissioned the Dream Sculpture

The idea for the Dream sculpture came about in 2005 as a bid to take part in a Channel 4 TV programme which aired in 2009 called ‘The Big Art Project’ which followed the creation of unique works of public art in the environment.

It was designed as an experiment to examine the impact on the lives of ordinary people by directly involving them in the creation of new public artworks. It was the UK’s biggest ever public art commissioning scheme and the Sutton Manor site made the final cut of 7 out of 1400 competing entries.

A group of former miners from Sutton Manor Colliery worked alongside St Helen’s Council in nominating the site.

The mining community still felt a strong connection with their colliery and had wanted some form of mining monument ever since the pit was closed.

The Council meanwhile were working on a long term economic growth plan for St Helens and wanted something to ‘put the town on the map’ and become more than just a name half way between Manchester and Liverpool.

It was thanks to a number of factors that Sutton Manor was chosen for the programme:

• Its rich cultural resonance as a former colliery.
• The passion and enthusiasm of the miners that nominated it.
• Its prominent location alongside the M62 adding to the potential regeneration impact for the town of St Helens. It would be very visible to anyone passing.
• The Forestry Commission’s excellent woodland management had provided an attractive and highly suitable backdrop for a monumental piece of public art.

The Dream Sculpture

Catalan artist Jaume Plensa was chosen to produce the art work but the miners rejected his initial idea which took the form of a 20 metre miner’s lantern. They decided they didn’t want a literal mining monument but rather something more contemporary, forward-looking and thought-provoking.

In response to the community’s thoughts, beliefs and aspirations, 6 months later Jaume returned with the concept of ‘Dream’. The sculpture takes the form of a young girl’s head and neck which has been elongated or as some like to think of it as ‘squished’. Her eyes are closed in a dream-like state: dreaming not just of her future, but that of the place where she stands.

In Jaume’s words:

“Despite her wonderful vantage point and view, the girl’s eyes are closed, looking inward. This is my homage to the miners and their dream of light when underground.”

As a link to the heritage of the site, the Dream sculpture sits on a giant circular plinth which resembles a miner’s tally. These were small circular chips that a miner carried as a means of identification and were used to record the number of miners down a shaft on any one shift. Dream’s plinth bears the inscription “Dream Sutton Manor” and illustrates the simple belief that Jaume expressed: “in our dreams, anything is possible.”

The Dream sculpture is constructed from a mix of English concrete and Spanish Dolomite marble (the whitest marble there is) which gives her a brilliant and almost luminescent white finish. This provides a stark contrast to the darkness of the mine and the black of the coal that lies underground.

Dream points south in line with the direction of the Sutton Manor coal seam. Its south facing position also means that the girl’s facial contours and shadows change throughout the day as the sun moves from east to west. I find that on a dull day you struggle to make out what the white blob on the horizon is, but on a sunny day with blue skies, you can make out every detail.

I think Jaume Plensa successfully responded to the environment, producing an inspirational monument that reflects the heritage of the site and creates a space for visitor contemplation and a spot of daydreaming.

The Dream sculpture has become a well-known landmark in the North West of England; much like the Angel of the North became to the North East. It has become the symbol for St Helens, marking the town’s post-industrial transformation.

Much like all the sculpture trails I visit, Dream has attracted tens of thousands of extra visitors not just to the site itself but to the surrounding area which has the huge benefit of boosting the local economy.

St Helens is most definitely ‘on the map!’

What Else is There to See at Sutton Manor Woodlands

Not long after the Dream sculpture was officially unveiled in 2009, three rather intriguing benches were installed. Unlike the typical wooden picnic benches, these ones are black metal and their designs illustrate the history of the colliery. They were designed by children from Sutton Manor Primary school in collaboration with artist Bernadette Hughes.

I love the words on one of them which read:

“Beneath this ground toiled human worms, gave all they had to give, to make this country great and improve the way we live.”

What a moving tribute!

The benches are located near the Jubits Lane entrances to the site though I wish they would be given a fresh lick of paint from time to time though as they are looking a bit weathered these days.

I also rather like the dedication on the wooden bench situated nearby – to the miners and surface workers of Sutton Manor Colliery.

You’ll also find a series of flame-like sculptures rising out of the ground at Sutton Manor woodlands. They are made of cast steel and form a heritage art trail around the site. Each flame is about 6ft tall and there are 6 in total (though I haven’t found all 6, which means we may have lost a couple to vandals over the years.) They have been on the site since 2012 and are inscribed with poems by writer Collette Hughes. The verses are dedicated to the memory of Sutton Manor miners of which 60 lost their lives while working in the colliery.

Here are just a couple of the poems I rather like:

“We make our own pathways, they disappear into serenity and sunlight. For beneath this world lies another, filled with dreams and scattered memories, the footsteps of our fathers.”

“Older voices echo deep in this world within a world, and in stone dust and darkness, we trace and retrace the footsteps of our fathers.”

Accessing the Dream Sculpture at Sutton Manor Woodlands

Sutton Manor woodlands can be found just a mile and a half from junction 7 of the M62 and is well signposted on brown tourist signs from there. For sat nav users, enter postcode WA9 4BB and follow signs for car parking at King George V playing fields car park.

The car park is on the left after you pass the woodlands which begin the moment you cross over the motorway. You should be able to see the top of the Dream sculpture protruding just above the tree line as you approach the woodlands on Jubits Lane.

Dog Walking at Sutton Manor Woodlands

As I’ve already mentioned, walking to the Dream sculpture at Sutton Manor woodlands provides excellent dog walking territory. Once you are safely across the road from the car park and through the first access point on to the site, it is off-lead all the way! Click here to view a map of the site.

If your dog likes a water feature, there is a pond at the north east corner of the site where the access point from Clock Face is.

There are dog bins (and normal bins) at each of the entrances off Jubits Lane, including one at the far south west corner leading to the path which runs alongside the motorway. There are no bins around the site itself, only at the entrances.

You can also find a dog bin in the park attached to the car park. This is also the perfect place for ‘fetch the ball’ games.

The Perfect Circular Walk at Sutton Manor Woodlands

For the perfect leisurely 45 minute – 1 hour (1.7 mile) circular route at Sutton Manor woodlands (depending on how long you spend admiring the Dream sculpture), follow these steps…

1. From the car park, cross the road and walk back towards the motorway until you reach the edge of the woodlands where there is an entrance to Sutton Manor.
2. Where the path forks into 3, keep right. Pass additional entrances that join from the right, noting the original colliery gates still in situ. 
3. Follow the main path as is slowly leads upwards curving to the left. You’ll be able to see excellent views of Fiddlers Ferry Power Station to the right and there are a couple of well positioned benches here to stop and admire the view. 
4. Where the path next forks, take the left uphill route (the other goes back downhill) – The Dream sculpture will be directly ahead now.
5. Continue on past the sculpture and start going downhill again.
6. When you reach a T-junction, turn right and follow all the way down the hill till you reach the pond. You’ll join the perimeter path (comes from the right) that circles the whole site.
7. Keep left around the pond. (If you turn right here, a footpath leads offsite to Clock Face Country Park.)
8. Continue along here back to the main road and car park.

For a shorter 25-30 minute walk – at point 6 – turn left instead and it joins back up to point 1.

Fascinating ‘Dream’ Facts & Figures

• Stands 20 metres tall
• The apex stands just over 100m above sea level
• Weighs 273 tonnes
• Approx 50 times life size
• Each Ear is 4.2 metres long
• Each eye is 1 metre wide
• The supporting piles go 38 metres underground, almost twice as deep as Dream is tall.
• The plinth is 17 metres in diameter
• The casting process took 60 days
• The head is made up from 54 parts
• Total Cost of The Dream project was £1.88 million from a variety of arts funding bodies and none from tax-payers.

The Dream sculpture certainly “demonstrates what can be achieved when committed people with a shared vision work together towards a common goal.”

There is tonnes more information about Dream on their website if you want to learn more about the project from start to finish.

Get in Touch!

So, what do you think to Dream? Have you seen her before? Please drop me a line in the comments box below and let me know…

I hope you’ve enjoyed following my walk to the Dream sculpture at Sutton Manor Woodlands… I’m in the process of writing about many more local walks to the Warrington & St Helens area in North West England. So keep checking back for more great walks, or sign up to receive notifications of new posts in the side bar to the right (or if on mobile – scroll down to find it below my profile.)

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Further Reading on Walks in North West England:

Discover Wigg Island, under the Mersey Gateway bridge in Runcorn, Cheshire

Pennington Flash in Greater Manchester – the winter edition.

Walking amongst Anthony Gormley’s iron men (Another Place) at Crosby Beach, Merseyside

Walk from Southport to Ainsdale Sands, Merseyside

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail in North Yorkshire

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