Ducklington Village Art Trail
The Ducklington Village Art Trail is a project funded by s106 monies
given to Ducklington Parish Council and designated for art.
How long does the trail take?
The trail takes about 1-2 hours dependent on how fast you go round and is all on a flat surface. Please note there are areas outside of the village that are not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Parking:
There is FREE parking at the Travelodge or in the Parish Car Park by the school on Aston Road. Please refrain from parking on the roads in the village.
Find out more about each element of the art trail here:
Mosaic Fritillary Planters
Whatever route you take into Ducklington Village, you are met by the welcoming site of our ‘Fritillary Planters’. These were built for us by Highworth Community Shed
(www.highworthcommunityshed.co.uk). Sarah Varnom, local mosaic artist, worked with local artist, Gary Woodley, who created the design. She was then joined by many villagers who contributed to the final pieces using tiles, broken porcelain, beads, glass and lots of creativity. New friendships were made along the way, and we are very proud of the results. Members of the village are keeping a watchful eye on the planters ensuring the there is a splash of seasonal colour at every turn.
Chalcroft Sensory Garden
The garden was designed by Lesley and Matt Barker on behalf of Ducklington Parish Council. The hardscaping work was installed by a local contractor MPW Construction and local volunteers gave up their free time to plant the garden and build the “dead” hedge.
Local celebrity poet, Pam Ayres, kindly donated one of her poems which has been carved into the paving.
We encourage everyone to take time to sit and enjoy the garden, read the poem and chat to anyone passing by. The plants will appeal to your senses by touch, smell, sight and hearing but please don’t eat them!
Bartholomew Close Wooden Sculpture
The sculpture was carved from a fallen oak tree in Oxfordshire. It was created and designed by Cotswold artist Natasha Houseago (www.natasha-houseago.co.uk).
Once the blocking out had been done using battery saws and an Arbortech, Natasha carved the whole piece by hand on site from June to November (2025), taking inspiration from the local wildlife. The snakes head fritillary flower reflects the official flower of Oxfordshire.
Whilst carving she met members of the local community who would talk about nature at Bartholomew Close Park and she was visited by the swans who sat on the river bank to inspired her carving. You will see that parts of the sculpture were scorched with a blow torch especially the chequered parts of the petals.
Once the carving was complete, local children were invited to create tiny clay pegs and hammered them into a drilled hole in the carving and make a wish.
Oak Leaf Kinetic Metal Sculpture
This piece in the centre of the village was designed and created by local artist Christopher Townsend (www.christophertownsend.co.uk).
It involved creating a base with bearings allowing the leaves to spin in the wind.
The leaves were made by hand using a plasma cutter and were inspired by the oak trees near his studio at Astall Barrow.
Fritillary Metal Sculpture
The snakes head fritillary flower was designed and created by local artist Christopher Townsend (www.christophertownsend.co.uk) of mild galvanised steel. All the stems and petals were bent by hand.
The field by the sculpture is full of the snakehead fritillary flowers which bloom every spring and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Village host an annual “Fritillary Sunday “ and visitors can walk amongst the flowers , buy a plant and eat a Ploughman’s after in the Village Hall.