Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Still in Ripon, in the Spa Gardens, and Katharine took this photo of carvings of characters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

A 2013 addition to Spa Gardens was a series of tree sculptures depicting characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll spent time as choirboy at Ripon Cathedral and is said to have been inspired to create the characters by the cathedral’s animal carvings (Though Ripon isn't the only place to claim to have inspired Lewis Carroll, Beverley in East Yorkshire makes a simular claim).

'Chainsaw Mick' was commissioned to create the carvings using the trunks of a cypress tree that was to have been cut down. As well as a very lifelike Alice, these garden sculptures include the Caterpillar, Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit.

Ian

[Casablanca]

That's a clever way to use the fallen tree

[Bill Davidson]

Impressive.

[Dorothy]

He’s very good!

[Peter Dulis]

creative

[Catherine P]

Very impressive!

[Margaret Brown]

Is very unusual and impressive!

[Joan Robillard]

Neat

[Christine Sztukowski]

Great sculpture fav

[Oli Lindenskov]

Great shot👍😊

[Rob Z]

How cool is that! I assume that was a big old tree that died? :)

[william wooderson]

There's a chainsaw artist where I am too: I admire this sort of creativity! Fav

[Judith Johnson]

I do like a good chainsaw carving!

[gloria jones]

Nice capture of this neat carving

[Corinne C]

I love that the dead tree was transformed in artwork. Fabulous!

[Kathy A]

These are really cool

[bkb in the city]

Very cool sculptures

[Fisher Family]

@casablanca @billdavidson @illinilass @pdulis @cmp @craftymeg @joansmor @365projectorgchristine @mubbur @robz @will_wooderson @busylady @seattlite @corinnec @kjarn @bkbinthecity

Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.

I think this is an impressive use of the remains of an old cypress tree. The artist who did the work is based in Lincoln, and he has an impressive portfolio of carvings.

Ian

[Fisher Family]

@robz

I don't really remember the tree, except that it had grown very large and had grown well over the footpath past it. I like this result of cutting the tree.

Ian