Spiral of Time by Diana Bell
Commissioned by Wootton Parish Council 2022 following the developer’s contribution from the Hartwell Development on Besselsleigh Road.
The sculpture was commissioned by Wootton Parish Council to celebrate the history of Wootton Village. At the centre of the spiral the shell refers to the fossils found on Boars Hill and the pot and helmet to the remains of a Roman Settlement with kilns. The origin of the village goes back to Saxon times when farmers cleared woodland, therefore the base of the sculpture is the shape of a Saxon plough. The name Wootton is derived from the Anglo-Saxon WudTun, Wotton, Woodtun meaning township in the woods, which is represented by curved branches linking the spiral.
The house near the bottom illustrates a simple Saxon dwelling which would have been built out of wood. The flower design circling the spiral refers to the growing of flax which provided linen cloth beginning in medieval times and continuing into the 16th and 17th centuries. At this time Wootton was a small farming community growing oats, barley and wheat and keeping sheep, pigs and cattle. Horses were important and continue to be part of the area to the present day, so they are also represented in the design.
Bringing the time line into 19th and 20th centuries at the top of the curve are two books celebrating writers and academics who lived or were inspired by Boars Hill and Wootton:
Margaret Woods, Robert Bridges, John Masefield, Robert Graves, Edmund Blunden and Matthew Arnold.
Bench celebrating the history of Wootton Village
Designed by Diana Bell for Wootton Parish Council to illustrate the history of Wootton. Fossils and Roman remains (on the right) were discovered on Boars Hill. Wootton derived from the Anglo-Saxon WudTun, meaning township in the woods; the houses at the bottom illude to this. Flax flowers were grown to provide linen cloth, from medieval times and into the 17th century. By then Wootton was a small farming community raising sheep, pigs, and cattle in addition to growing oats, barley, and wheat. The horse serves as a representation of the village’s continued interest in horses.