‘Monumenta Romana’ By Charles Holland Architects
How to get there
- Section: 13 – Shepherdswell to Dover
- Nearest postcode: CT15 5BB
- What 3 words: ///quote.foggy.dust
- Where to start? Shepherdswell Station or Shepherdswell Village Green
- What to expect: Open fields, woodland and villages
Full Route: This sculpture is on section 13 of the North Downs Way from Shepherdswell to Dover 9 miles (14.5km) for more details, visit the North Downs Way website.
In a hurry?
It’s just 2.4 miles from Shepherdswell Station or car park.
Take your time…
Walk the 9-mile Shepherdswell to Dover route, passing through Ashley and Pineham villages and finish at Dover Seafront, take a selfie at the Start/Finish Point and at the ‘We are All Winners’ installation then can get a train back to your starting point after a well-earned fish and chips.
Make a day of it
- Eat & drink: Drink at The Bell Inn Shepherdswell, Family friendly, traditional country pub serving drinks and snacks (check ahead for food options) or The Carpenter’s Arms in Coldred, a CAMRA Real Heritage Pub serving the community since the 18th Century.
- Explore: Waldershare Estate, Coldred Village, the Village Green and St. Pancras church.
- Travelling with Mini-Explorers? Bring some paper and crayons and make rubbings of the timber seat.
The story behind the sculpture
Sited on the Via Francigena pilgrimage trail and located on the edge of the Waldershare Estate opposite the Belvedere, an early 17th-century Palladian folly designed by Lord Burlington. Which was commissioned by the owner of the estate, the Belvedere was never completed, and the Grade 1 structure is currently in a semi-ruinous state.
The Monumenta Romana sculpture is fabricated from salvaged timber that has been recycled from flooring, barrels and even sea groins, which all form an open-framed dome surrounded by an octagonal timber seat, it’s both an object of contemplation in relation to the site and its history, a sculpture that gives 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape to walkers on the North Downs Way National Trail. The piece re-imagines the cupola that was originally intended to go on the roof of the Belvedere. In this sense, the artwork refers to a history of objects and architectural fragments brought back from foreign travels including the Grand Tour. It also refers to a history of wayside chapels and shrines that populate pilgrimage routes.
About the artists
Charles Holland Architects is an international architecture and design studio based in Dover. Their work is multi-disciplinary in scope and includes buildings, exhibitions, public art and urban design as well as teaching and research.
The Via Francigena
The ancient Pilgrimage Route between Canterbury and Rome is classified as a Cultural Route by the Council of Europe.
Nearby experiences
Other points of interest
- Dover Museum and Bronze Age Boat, Dover Castle and White Cliffs of Dover
- East Kent Railway in Shepherdswell is a heritage railway with café and outdoor activities.
