Gresgarth Hall Zodiac garden - Retrospective

This mosaic was a commission for Arabella Lennox Boyd back in 1996 for her gardens at Gresgarth Hall near Lancaster. Most of the time this is a private garden but it is open to the public on certain days.

The design was born of an interpretation of modern heraldry. The four zodiac signs; Leo, Virgo, Taurus and Capricorn, represent the four members of the family. An olive tree is included mirroring the many that are grown throughout the gardens. This is framed by classical columns and architrave due to the father’s keen interest in architecture. As Maggy now remember’s it, the rest was artistic license; a storm brewed above the sea and water swirled down the pathways which connect the astrological signs.

The mosaic was commissioned before Maggy had started using a computer to blow up her designs so once the design was finalised, the whole piece was drawn out in actual size by hand on the floor to create the patterns for the moulds.

The mosaic was made by Maggy herself along with Mark Currie. It featured lots of carved slate and many different types of pebble. Back in 1996 we had not yet started importing pebbles from abroad so these were all picked by hand from various beaches (with permission) and quarries in the U.K.