Marjan Wouda

Welcome to Rawtenstall Town Square, where you have just made acquaintance with “Sir Hare”.

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Below you will find more information about the sculpture; who made it, why it was made, what the significance of it is, how was it made, how it was named “Sir Hare”, and what the idea behind it is. It will also direct you to further information about the West Pennine Moors, about the status of the hare locally, and about hare - folklore.

Finally, you will find an education pack with suggested activities for young people, all using the sculpture as a starting point.

Who brought Sir Hare back to Rossendale? The sculpture installation has been made possible through a community fundraising campaign, which secured major funding from Lancashire County Council and saw individuals and businesses delve deep into their pockets to ensure its success. Rossendale Borough Council has worked with partners and the local community to bring Sir Hare back to Rawtenstall, providing a permanent home for the sculpture in the town square.

Below are all backers listed, except those who funded the sculpture anonymously. To all a huge thank you.

There are also those who backed the project in kind, such as Steel Dynamics UK and Castle Fine Art Foundry, and the crowdfunding team volunteers.

The hare, Hareholme and Rawtenstall - a historical perspective. The history of Hareholme, Rawtenstall, and hares is intertwined through a combination of Lancashire industrial heritage, regional place names, and deeply rooted local folklore. The connection between the town, the district, and the animal ranges from 18th-century industrial dominance to modern-day wildlife conservation and community art.

Hareholme and Rawtenstall: The Industrial Boom Rawtenstall originated as part of the Royal Forest of Rossendale, a hunting ground recorded since 1323 that was eventually deforested by King Henry VII in 1509. For centuries, the area consisted mostly of isolated farmsteads. However, the onset of the Industrial Revolution completely transformed the valley. Hareholme—a specific district and ward within Rawtenstall—became the historic cradle of this transformation: • The First Mill: Hareholme Mill, built in 1798 by the Edmondson family for a Quaker merchant named Thomas Dockray, was the first large, four-story worsted (and later cotton) spinning mill in the Rossendale Valley. • A Technological First: It was the first building in the entire local area to be illuminated by gas light. Evolution of the District: The mill brought rapid growth, pulling workers into Hareholme. Rows of terraced streets (like Albert Street and Cobden Street) and local landmarks, including the Hareholme Primitive Methodist Church, sprang up to support the community. Though the historic mill was structurally altered and eventually demolished to make way for housing, Hareholme remains a prominent ward in Rawtenstall today. An early 19th-century oil painting of Hareholme Mill is still preserved at The Whitaker, Rawtenstall's local museum.

The Cultural and Folkloric Connection to Hares The name Hareholme itself points to a long history of hares in the area, likely indicating a riverside meadow ("holme") where wild hares were frequently spotted. The animal holds a profound place in Lancashire history and supernatural folklore: • Witches and Boggarts: In Lancashire lore, hares are frequently depicted as shape-shifters or witches' familiars. Local stories across the region tell of supernatural, ghostly figures—such as the Boggart (a mischievous Lancashire spirit)—wandering the landscape accompanied by a spectral white hare as a shadow. Even during the Pendle Witch trials of 1612, a witch transforming into a hare was a common superstitious trope. • "Sir Hare": In medieval England, the hare was highly revered yet mystified. A famous 13th-century Middle English poem lists 77 ceremonial names given to the creature by hunters to gain power over it—the most famous moniker being "Sir Hare".

Modern Day: "Bring Back the Hare" The brown hare was originally introduced to Britain during the Iron Age and became a staple of the surrounding Rossendale moorlands. However, local postcard surveys conducted by Wildlife Trusts indicated a massive 75% decline in the Rossendale hare population since the 1960s. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust specifically identifies the brown hare as one of the area's key isolated populations of conservation concern.

The Names of the Hare The title of the sculpture is taken from a 13th Century “orison” (prayer or poem), written in Middle English and translated into modern English by the poet Seamus Heaney. Here is a link to the poem: https://ronnowpoetry.com/contents/anonymous/NamesoftheHare.html Karl Steel describes the writing like this: Its 63 lines begin with a warning to anyone who encounters a hare: he will never fare well unless he drops what he’s carrying in his hand, be it a staff or a bow, and then bless himself with his elbow — whatever that could mean — and then “say an orison in worship of the hare” to ward off bad luck.
Then follows the orison: 77 names of the hare, running from the expected, like the first, which is simply “the hare,” to more fanciful ones, including “the steal-away,” “the evil met,” “the grass biter,” “the friendless,” “the sitter, the grass hopper,” and finally “the animal” — the Middle English here is der — “that all men scorn / the animal that no man dare name.” The poem finishes by freeing the transfixed unfortunate man: once you have recited these names, it says, then you can move on, east or west, south or north. The poem itself then wishes the hare “good day,” ( “and now, Sir Hare, good day to you” ) and hopes that the hare is next encountered as a nice, cooked meal with onion broth or bread.

The Artist Marjan Wouda is a Netherlands-born, Lancashire-based sculptor and artist, her work ranging from tiny, hand-held pieces to public works in bronze and steel. She has her work spread far and wide, from New Zealand, to Hong Kong, the Caribbean, Europe and the US. Locally you can find her work in Clitheroe (“Dandy,” in front of Booths), at Entwistle reservoir, Bold Venture Park Darwen, Accrington Library (on the newell post), and Bury and Blackburn Art Galleries. “I am fascinated by animals; by their various forms and what they mean to us. I am always on the look-out for subjects that are mysteriously compelling, and I often find these in folkloric stories - and often too in the places that inspired them. My dream is to return the most significant story-characters in sculptural form to this landscape; to bring them back into our consciousness, enrich our lives and provoke in us a greater awareness of our environment.

The Story of the Sculpture - the artist’s journey. “The idea for the sculpture came from a growing awareness of the wonders of the landscape of Lancashire, and how this is reflected in its story lore. Coming from the very flat landscape of the Netherlands, these Pennine Hills never stop amazing me. I love the sense of the wild you can find here, the often bleak and atmospheric views, the sound of water trickling or flowing down from the moors to the valleys.”

West Pennine Moors and the role of peat “I also began to learn about the importance of this ecology and the role it plays in climate change. Did you know that our peatlands store enormous amounts of carbon? And that, when they are healthy (ie wet), they continuously absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere? Sadly, the opposite is also true: when the peat is damaged, it releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change.”

Process “When I set out to find an alternative to working in bronze and clay - allowing me to create larger pieces for the public realm, I discovered that Lancashire has the most up to date technology in metal-cutting and fabrication in sheet metal. This opened new doors for me. At this time I was introduced to Computer Aided Design at The Making Rooms in Blackburn. This application allowed me to design very precise shapes on the computer; shapes which were infinitely scalable, and which could be used to instruct a laser cutter.”

“I needed, however, to find a medium other than a computer programme to start developing my ideas, and that medium was paper. Paper of a sufficient thickness to stand up and hold its form. I figured that anything I could make using paper, could be recreated using steel. In this way Sir Hare first saw the light of day in the form small 3D paper models or “maquettes” made by cutting, bending, and sticking together paper shapes, using bits of cardboard as spacers. Once translated into CAD, they were scaled up and sent to the metal cutting factory. Finally, the steel shapes were bent and welded together in the metal fabricator’s workshop. I decided on Corten steel (which is steel with a little copper mixed in with it), for its gorgeously vibrant, organic colour and for the promise of a long life.”

Sir Hare Teaching Resources - 1

Ideas for a Site Visit

ACTIVITIES:

If weather allows bring clipboards and pencils and record answers to the following questions.

Begin by asking the children to walk all around the sculpture and decide very carefully on the best spot / viewpoint from which to view it. Let each child explain why they chose their spot and why. You can let the children make their own viewfinders beforehand to bring along.

1. First Impressions

Ask them to move around the sculpture again and think about:

How does the sculpture make you feel? Is the hare your friend? If not: what else? What is the hare thinking?

Observations:

What is the hare looking at and where do you think he’s going? Is he standing still or is he moving?

What about this sculpture is realistic and what is unrealistic? Why do you think the artist didn’t make it more realistic?

2. Whole Group Discussion

Why do you think the artist made the sculpture as large as this? How would it have been different if the sculpture was the size of a real hare? If the hare would be able to speak, what would he say? - Write this down in a speech bubble.

The name “Sir Hare”:

Look at the sign. It says that the title of the sculpture is “Sir Hare”. What is a title? Why do we give a book, film, or work of art a title? What does it mean when someone is addressed as “Sir”?

What title would you give this sculpture and why? 3. What is Sir Hare made off?

Examine the sculpture by touch, and even tap him (with the end of a pen or pencil?), to see what sound he makes. Ask the children what they think he’s made out of?. Why do you think the artist chose this material?

Discussion: How do You Think the Sculpture was Made?

Ask the children: If you were the artist what would you have had to do to make Sir Hare, from the beginning to the final sculpture?

Think about:

What might you use to create a very small version of the sculpture that you could hold in your hands to see if it would work?

How would you cut out the steel pieces and how would you join them together?

How the Artist Made Sir Hare:

The sculpture was first designed by cutting and sticking paper shapes. The separate stainless steel pieces were cut out by laser cutting. They were joined together through welding.

4. Observational Drawing

If the weather allows: (Use clipboards and pencils - if possible it’s great to have soft ones (B2 and up). A5 paper is big enough. Also have some rubbers; we all make mistakes!

Or they can draw with felt tips, crayons, charcoal (but do spray it with hairspray asap to stop it smudging), or even biros. Keep asking for more detail: where does the light hit and where do the shadows fall. Encourage them to make marks on the darker areas.

Let the children go back to their ‘best viewpoint’ or decide on another.

Ask them to pretend each has a camera and think about how the sculpture fits into the frame, using their forefingers and thumbs to create a square to look through before starting to draw (or use the viewfinders ). Ask them to try and make the image of the hare fill the paper. They can also draw the background; the hills, buildings or sky.

Ask them to draw what they can see, paying close attention to detail, drawing each shape, each piece of metal. If there is shadow, draw that too by shading it in.

If some children finish early, either ask them to add more detail or bring extra paper and ask them to choose a new and completely different viewpoint.

The good news is that there are no wrong answers or bad drawings!

After the Visit:

5. Display the Drawings

Display the drawings around the room (on tables or up on the wall) and ask the children to move around and look carefully at them all.

Ask them to choose a drawing they find interesting and explain why they chose it and what they think is interesting about it.

If the weather didn’t allow drawing outside, the children can draw “Sir Hare” from memory and also from a (projected) photo.

6. Write a Letter. Write a letter to a friend describing their visit to see Sir Hare. Describe their first impressions and what they discovered when they moved around him and examined him more closely. Describe the setting.

SUBJECTS: ART/ ENGLISH /HISTORY

More Teaching/Activity-Resources are to follow

Links:

https://www.marjanwouda.com

https://www.visitrossendale.com/outdoors/walking

https://rossendale-ramblers.co.uk/join-us

https://www.lancswt.org.uk