The new South Link Road on the edge of Carlisle was always going to be more than just infrastructure. Designed to improve connectivity and unlock future development, it also carried a quieter challenge, how to give a brand-new road a sense of place.

Without identity, roads become forgettable. Roundabouts blur into one another, journeys lose distinction, and the landscape feels anonymous. Cumberland Council wanted character and landmarks. Something people would recognise, remember and talk about. Research on other well-known roundabouts show that sculptures can make a huge impact, and the three forged steel giants would do exactly that.

A Landscape Rooted in Agriculture

For Cumberland Council, the sculptures were not only aesthetic additions, they were central to the idea of placemaking. Each roundabout needs its own identity that connects them to the people and places they are situated amongst. 

Carlisle’s identity is inseparable from agriculture and horseracing, and it was this that shaped the artistic direction. Rather than abstract forms, the decision was made to create sculptures that reflected the lived reality of the region—its animals, its heritage, and its stories.

The designs, chosen by Cumberland Council in collaboration with local communities, honour Carlisle’s rich agriculture and horse racing history. The city has hosted horse racing since the mid-16th century, while in May 2022, a Limousin bull “Rambo”,  sold in Carlisle for a world-record £189,000.  Ellie’s sculptures celebrate the power, grace, and vitality of these animals on a dramatic scale. In an interview with Cumbria Life she shared that  “they reflect Cumbria’s agriculture, nature and the fact people work so hard to look after their animals. Trying to capture all of that in one sculpture is quite a responsibility”.

Forging the Vision

The commission was taken on by Ellie Baren of Grace Forge, an artist blacksmith whose work sits at the intersection of blacksmithing, design  and storytelling. Gareth Scott, Carlisle South Link Road Project Manager reflected that the development of the sculptures felt collaborative, explaining that  “We were happy to work through the challenges of the process that come with bespoke art installations, but these were made much easier by the approach taken by the artist (Ellie) who remained open, flexible and communicated throughout the process.”

From the beginning, the brief was clear: create pieces that could hold their own in an open, fast-moving landscape. 

“You’re not just making something to be looked at up close,” Ellie explains. “These pieces have to be read at speed, from a distance, in all weather. They need real presence.”

Sol, the bull would become the anchor piece—monumental, grounded, and impossible to ignore. Alongside him, a mare, Eden and foal, Esk would introduce a quieter narrative, adding balance and emotional depth.

“The bull is watchful and powerful,” Ellie says. “But the horse and foal bring something softer. They speak about care, about community. That contrast really mattered.”

Making Steel Feel Alive

Translating animals into steel at this scale required both technical precision and artistic sensitivity. The Bull alone weighs around four tonnes—every element engineered to withstand time, weather, and exposure. But beyond structure, there was a deeper challenge: capturing life.

“It’s not about copying exactly,” Ellie explains. “It’s about understanding how they stand, how they carry weight. If you get that right, people feel it, even in steel.”

The bull’s stance is deliberate, solid, grounded, immovable in 120mm x 12mm mild steel. Ellie wanted to create a sense of the animal that is stoic, level, solid, steady and watchful.” In contrast, the horse and foal  are made from lighter lengths of 80mm x 12mm flat bar, their design introducing movement and relationship, their forms creating a moment of stillness within the wider road environment.

Installation & Impact

Installing sculptures of this scale brought logistical complexity, from transport to precise placement within the roundabouts. They were transported over three days using low-loaders and a  250 tonne crane, from Ellies Workshop at Broughm Hall, Penrith to the roundabouts where they were set on concrete plynths and bolted down.

Once installed, their effect was immediate. Gareth remarked “Art is by its very nature is subjective and I think it should result in conversation and stir some emotive reaction. I’m personally really pleased. They have made the roundabouts a recognised place, people will discuss their journeys and routes using these fantastic art installations.”

Together, they transform the road.

“I wanted people to notice them without trying,” Ellie says. “To look up, even for a second, and feel something—whether that’s recognition, curiosity, or just a break in the journey.” Cumberland Council have planted trees, shrubs and grasslands on the roundabouts that will  frame and add atmosphere to the landscape surrounding the sculptures. They are also installing lighting to illuminate the giant sculptures at night.

A Road with Identity

What was once just a new stretch of infrastructure has become something more layered and meaningful.

The sculptures root the South Link Road in its surroundings, connecting it to aspects of Cumbria’s  heritage and shaping how people experience the space today. They provide landmarks, spark conversation, and give the road a rhythm that would otherwise be absent. 

As Cumbria Life magazine highlighted, Rambo himself was a figure of scale and significance. Now, through these works, that presence extends beyond memory and into the landscape itself. People are already taking special trips along the South link Road with the sole purpose of seeing Sol, Eden and Esk,

Reflection

The Bull, horse and foal sculptures demonstrate how infrastructure and art can work together to create something lasting. Through collaboration between Cumberland Council and an artist blacksmith, a functional road has been given identity, character, and story. Gareth reflected that “The public have really welcomed them and I’m sure they will be enjoyed for many years to come". 

“At the end of the day,” Ellie reflects, “it’s about making something that belongs. Something for the people and the landscape, that feels like it couldn’t be anywhere else.”

And now, it doesn’t.