about the sculpture

The eleven carved English Oak posts in Millington Pastures known as Way Posts collectively form a sculpture trail inspired by heritage and landscape. They follow a route through the Pastures from Pasture Gate towards Huggate and are linked by a single letter on each post which when read in sequence spells GAIT IN WOLDS.

The Way Posts are located in three groups, and each group has a meaning specific to its site. As you approach the Pastures from Millington village the first four posts at Pasture Gate symbolise a gateway to the Yorkshire Wolds. The text on the Posts "G A I T", refers also to the gaits into which the common grazing land was divided before the Pastures became enclosed by fencing.

The route is crossed and inter-crossed with ancient rights of way, many of which were used by Roman legions. A little further on the two posts at Thieves Sty, "I N", turn inwards facing the route of one of the old Roman footpaths, possibly an access route the soldiers would have used to get onto the nearby entrenchment.

The posts in Millington Dale extend over a distance representing the gradual unfolding of the WOLDS. The five posts gradually rise in height and each has its own character: finely carved `map contour` lines which help to identify them within their surroundings.

Further carvings add to the individuality of each of the eleven Posts, deeper set carved markings in the oak sides mimic the facing horizon line and place each Post specifically in one spot.

Gaits were sections of land allocated by the Pasture Master to local farmers, (each sufficient grazing for six sheep) which allowed their owners to graze their livestock whilst locating them to a particular part of the landscape. Each Way Post has a metal hoop and band designed to resemble an animal tethering post, and stands as a metaphor for the location of an animal to a particular section of land.

The eleven Way Posts, GAIT IN WOLDS, were installed in May 2005 by York British Trust of Conservation Volunteers and adopted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

"Way Posts are perhaps not what you would expect public art to look like, they attempt to merge almost unnoticed within the landscape and to be a part of it by echoing the land, its use and the history around them."