Whitebirk Gateway Entrance Sculpture, Blackburn

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The Whitebirk Gateway Entrance sculpture in Blackburn is a striking piece of public art that marks the edge between the town’s urban core and its more rural surroundings. Designed by Eaton Waygood Associates, the artwork combines the rough-hewn natural textures of dry stone walling with sleek, modern steel to evoke a sense of boundary and transition. A rugged stone wall forms a backdrop, its surface punctuated by a polished steel sphere that seems to draw the eye onward toward the town centre. Behind the stone, ivy climbs, softening the structure and blurring the border between the built environment and nature, reminding viewers of the landscape beyond.

The installation doesn’t just aim to impress visually; it has symbolic weight. It represents the gateway between the rural Lancashire countryside and the industrial‑townscape of Blackburn, signalling arrival and identity. Set on a traffic island near Junction 6 of the M65, the sculpture captures both function and form, standing as a landmark for drivers entering the town, as well as a quiet statement of landscape and place