Lamppost sculptures to illuminate Barnet's heritage

New installations shine a light on local culture reports David Floyd

An orange metal lamppost — A Barnet Waylamp – (Credit – Luke O’Donovan)

Barnet residents have a shiny new way to explore the area after the installation of four new lampposts providing guidance to the borough’s cultural and historical sites.

‘Waylamps of Barnet: A Heritage Discover Trail’ sees the lampposts, created by landscape, art and architecture practice Wayward in collaboration with andre kong studio, located at four different points along the 125 bus route between Colindale and North Finchley.

The sculptures known as ‘Waylamps’, which are funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and supported the Mayor of London’s borough of culture programme, form a trail that Barnet Council says will enable “residents and visitors to discover the people, places and stories that make the borough unique”.

The four Waylamps are named after major figures connected to the borough: animator Lotte Reiniger; writer and comedian Spike Milligan; suffragist Muriel Matters and former Mayor of Barnet Agnes Slocombe MBE.

They do not form a single walking route but act as starting points for people to discover local landmarks including cultural venues and green spaces.

Cllr Anne Clarke, the council’s cabinet member for culture said: “The Waylamps of Barnet is a wonderful example of how creativity can help us see our borough differently.

“Created with residents and rooted in local history, the Waylamps reflect the spirit of Light and Flight by bringing together art, heritage and community in a way that is imaginative, welcoming and accessible to everyone.

“We hope people of all ages will enjoy discovering something new about Barnet and about the places they call home.”

Andrew Sampaio Kong of andre kong studio said: “The Waylamps celebrate discovery, movement and curiosity, literally casting the community’s imagination into the landscape.

“Rather than creating a single prescribed route, we were excited by the idea of a constellation of meandering destinations, making exploration more accessible and inviting people to wander, linger and uncover new stories along the way.”

Download the free Field Guide and find out more at lightandflight.co.uk/projects/barnet-heritage-trail.

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