Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
THE BLACK KNIGHT OF ASHTON
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 144 | |
Manual Reference | MR/TAM13 | |
Type | Sculpture | |
Title | THE BLACK KNIGHT OF ASHTON | |
Sculptor | Wouda, Marjan | |
Date of design | 1994-5 | |
Year of unveiling | 1995 | |
Unveiling details | October 1995 | |
Road | Penny Meadow | |
Precise Location | Arcades Shopping Centre, atrium | |
A to Z Ref | p. 85 B3 | |
OS Ref | SJ938993 | |
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | Not listed | |
Duty of Care | Tameside MBC | |
Commissioned by | MAB UK LTD | |
Notes | ||
Sculpture of knight on horseback in full armour and holding pennant. The knight is depicted as a slightly comical and pompous figure who is just about to be thrown off his horse. The surface of the sculpture incorporates different kinds of fabric, rope, chains, machinery and cast iron decorations, objects associated with the industrial history of the town. On circular metal pedestal. | ||
Sculpture was commissioned and financed for a new shopping centre in Ashton-under-Lyne by the centre's developers, MAB (UK) Ltd. The company was part of an international business group with headquarters in Holland. A shortlist of five sculptors was put together by the director of the British company and designs for a sculpture invited. The director made a recommendation to the chairman in Holland but this was rejected, the chairman choosing instead the proposal submitted by Marjan Wouda. The fact that a Dutch company selected a Dutch-born artist was a coincidence as no details of the competitors were known when the decision was taken. Marjan Wouda's sculpture refers to the popular local Easter Monday custom of Riding the Black Knight or Black Lad, which involved parading an effigy of a knight through the streets of Ashton. The origins of this folk custom have been much debated. By the end of the eighteenth century when written accounts began to appear, there was already little agreement about the identity of the Black Knight. In one of the most popular explanations of the custom, the knight referred to is said to be Sir Ralph de Assheton, a fifteenth-century local landowner, who incensed his tenants through the arbitrary use of his powers. Assheton became a figure of fear and hatred, and he was eventually killed in Ashton, presumably by those he had mistreated. One version of the tale included the invocation in verse: Sweet Jesu, for thy mercy's sake, And for thy bitter passion; Save us from the axe of the Tower, And from Sir Ralphe of Ashton. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1995 | |
Condition | Good | |
At risk | Not at risk | |
Inscriptions | On pennant held by figure: Every Night/Has Its Day/ Around top of pedestal: Sweet Jesu, for they Mercy sake. And for thy bitter passion. Save us from the axe of the Tower. And from Sir Ralph of Assheton. | |
Signatures | Round top of base: Sculpture by Marjan Wouda 1995/commissioned by MAB Ltd. | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
Statue | Steel | 170cm high x 220cm long |
Pedestal | Steel | 81 cm high x 240cm diameter |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
No damage | |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |