The Gansey Girl and other Art Installations.

Bro Steve Carvill has earned a glowing and far reaching reputation as an artist, and in particular for his work as a sculptor. He regaled us with the stories behind some of his creations, in particular the “Gansey Girl” so beloved of Bridlingtonians.

Bro Steve is from a Bridlington family and grew up here but his work as a sculptor has taken him all over through the many national and international projects he has been involved in. He started his talk with illustrations of some of his work including a panel in the National Gallipoli Memorial in St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park and the Royal Engineers Memorial at the National Arboretum.

Nearer to home he sculpted the much loved Agnus Dei at the church gate for the Priory 900 celebration. After describing how nerve racking a sculptor’s life can be, Bro Steve told us about the development of the “Gansey Girl”, now sitting knitting a gansey on the harbour’s north pier.

As part of the Regeneration programme the East Riding set up a group, under the guidance of Robb Robinson of Hull University, to develop a Maritime Trail. Other Augustinians were asked to join and their expertise proved invaluable – Bro Fred Walkington for his knowledge of the harbour area, and Carol Walkington for her experience as a gansey knitter.

Because of financial restraints sadly not all the trail markers could be developed, but through Bro Steve’s inspiration most have been fulfilled.  They include the introduction of surfing to Britain by the Hawaiian princes, the pavement roundels along the trail, the “Storm in the Bay” on Garrison Square and the “Gansey Girl”.

Bro Steve used photographs to show how complex a project can be from researching the historical background, consulting people like Carol, developing the maquette, selecting the right location, and casting the actual statue. Bronze was chosen as the medium because the statue would be exposed to such extremes of weather.

Brother Frederick Stephens gave the vote of thanks, saying how inspiring Bro Steve’s work is, and how we look forward to his future projects.