Conker Seat sculpture unveiled on Ellesmere trail

The latest addition to a growing sculpture display in Ellesmere has been officially unveiled.

Conker Seat, a piece made out of a felled horse chestnut tree by South Wales artist David Lloyd, was revealed to the public for the first time yesterday at Cremorne Gardens.

The work is part of Ellesmere's Sculpture Trail which also includes work by sculptors Rumen Dimitrov, from Bulgaria and John Merrill, from North Wales.

Mr Lloyd, from Carmarthenshire, started work on Conker Seat two weeks ago after a commission by Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative which oversees the trail's development.

Tonia Davies, spokeswoman for the initiative, said: "David is a freelance environmental artist working on site-specific artwork projects throughout the UK and Europe.

"He has been working on his piece since November 24, on site at Cremorne Gardens.

"Conker Seat will form part of the next phase of the Sculpture Trail around the Mere, with pieces from Rumen Dimitrov and John Merrill already in place.

Conker Seat is the 17th sculpture to be added to the trail since its launch in 2009 and the third commissioned this year.

Mr Dimitrov's piece, Stairway to Haven, named after his favourite band Led Zeppelin's song, took five days to complete.

It takes the form of a haven created out of a beech tree stump allowing visitors who sit inside to enjoy views across The Mere.

Children from Ellesmere Primary School were the inspiration behind Mr Merrill's piece, a wooden carving spelling Sshh.

Mr Merrill challenged the youngsters to look around The Mere for ideas.