Visitors to Brimham Rocks will soon be able to read a poem written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage that was inspired by the spectacular landscape.
Brimham Rocks to get Simon Armitage poem carved into stone Visitors to popular Nidderdale attraction Brimham Rocks will soon be able to read a poem written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage that was inspired by the spectacular landscape. The National Trust, which owns the site, has this week been granted planning permission by North Yorkshire Council to erect the stone artwork close to an existing footpath. Brimham Rocks is known for its weather-eroded rocks that formed over 325 million years ago. The poem will not be carved into one of the rocks that has been there for millions of years but is instead being made from Witton Fell stone sourced from a North Yorkshire quarry that will be in keeping with the surroundings. Born in Huddersfield, Mr Armitage is a proud Yorkshireman and he hopes the impactful poem will raise awareness about the importance of protecting and restoring nature. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019. [caption id="attachment_67146" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate.[/caption] Since the covid pandemic there has been a renaissance in nature writing and it’s also hoped the poem will resonate with visitors from a wide range of backgrounds. The structure is being installed this month and is set to stay there for three years. National Trust said in planning documents:
“The site location has been purposefully selected as a means to draw people in to experience the wider landscape of Brimham beyond the visitor focus of the rocks. “The position selected is one which is in an accessible location close to an existing footpath and an area which allows the transition from the rocks to the moorland and wider countryside to be fully appreciated.”The first few lines of the poem, which is called ‘Balancing Act’, are below:
The rocks are something else, grandstanding here With their temple chic and their stage names, flaunting their alien shapes. Fluted manhattans, melted castles, monster fossils, one gyroscopes on a stone spur, others trumpet their warped anvils and weird mushrooms, over the valleys below and as far as the coast.By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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