'Shadows in Another Light'

The Shadows in Another Light sculpture is the largest item along the St. Peters Riverside Sculpture Trail. It’s a steel tree perched atop a concrete plinth located at the base of a former shipyard crane.

The tree is made from recycled steel from the crane that once stood in its location. The unique artwork also has various rivets, nuts, and bolts from the crane built into it.

The sculpture’s concrete base plate has 16 plaques around it that were created by local blind and partially sighted local residents. Each of the plaques has been based around an event or myth from local Sunderland history, and as such help tell the story of the city.

The myth of the Lambton Worm is featured in one of the plinths on the sculpture. The tale of the worm is believed to be a part of the inspiration behind Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky.” Carroll was introduced to the legendary monster when he saw a play based on its story at the local theater on one of his visits to Sunderland.

The pathway along the River Wear to the east side of the sculpture has been designed to look like the shadow of the sculpture is cast as if the nearby Wearmouth Bridge is the sun. This offers a shadow even without sunlight and is one of the reasons it was named Shadows in Another Light.