Manual Ref* NFnnFA001 Show 5 images 3
Title*

Market Square
County Norfolk   District Council North Norfolk 
Civil Parish or equivalent Fakenham  Town/Village* Fakenham 
Road Norwich Street 
Precise Location Market Place 
OS Grid Ref TF919296  Postcode NR21 
Previous location(s)  
Setting Town Centre  Access Public 
Artist/Maker Role Qualifier
Simon Watkinson  Artist(s)   

Commissioned by

 North Norfolk District Council and the Arts Council of England (Commissions East) 

Design & Constrn period

 2000 

Date of installing

 2000 

Exact date of unveiling

  

Category
Abstract Animal Architectural
Commercial Commemorative Composite
Free Functional Funerary
Heraldic Military Natural
Non-Commemorative Performance Portable
Religious Roadside, Wayside Sculptural
Temporary, Mobile Other  

Object Type
Building Clock Tower Architectural
Coat of Arms Cross Fountain
Landscape Marker Medallion
Mural Panel Readymade
Relief Shaft Sculpture
Statue Street Furniture War Memorial
Other Object Sub Type:

Subject Type
Allegorical Mythological Pictorial
Figurative Non-figurative Portrait
Still-life Symbolic Other

Subject Sub Type
Bust Equestrian Full-length
Group Head Reclining
Seated Standing Torso
Part Material Dimension
2x floor bays  Cast iron  W 3 m, L 12 m (ea.) 
3 x 'pen' lights  Sand-blasted gun metal, frosted glass, and brass  H 337 cm, Dia 20 cm 

Work is
Extant Not Sited Lost

Owner/Custodian

 Fakenham Town Council 

Listing status
Grade I Grade II* Grade II Don't Know Not Listed

Surface Condition
Corrosion, Deterioration Accretions
Bird Guano Abrasions, cracks, splits
Biological growth Spalling, crumbling
Metallic staining Previous treatments
Other  
Detail: Brass nibs show some spotting/discolouration. Some scuffing on the pen stems. Floor bays are rusting in the recessed areas.

Structural Condition
Armature exposed Broken or missing parts
Replaced parts Loose elements
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes Spalling, crumbling
Water collection Other
Detail:

Vandalism
Graffiti Structural damage Surface Damage
Detail:

Overall condition
Good Fair Poor

Risk
No Known Risk At Risk Immediate
Signatures/Marks Designed by the Artist / Simon Watkinson. / Manufactured by / LC Jay Ltd. Norwich / March 2000 
Inscriptions Supported by The National Lottery through The Arts Council of England 

Description (physical)

 Centrepiece of a programme of artworks installed in the Market Place comprising two composite floor panels ('bays') and three columns/lights. Each bay is made up of plates of raised letterpress surrounded by square 'icons'. Lights from the columns shine upwards onto a polished disc reflecting beams of light down onto the cast-iron plates. A coloured strip of light runs down the front of each column anchoring the reflected light to the surface of the Market Square 

Description (iconographical)

 The main theme is the printing press reflecting Fakenham's history as a centre for the printing industry in Norfolk. More broadly the iconography is meant to denote the 'communication revolution' of the last few decades of the twentieth century. The column-lights were inspired by the shape of an ink pen with the spire and disc at the top representing the pen's nib and the strip of light symbolizing the ink. The bays contain motifs or 'icons' cast in eight patterns: 1. Two galloping horses - representing Fakenham Racecourse; 2. A gaslight - recalling manufacture of town gas; 3 & 4. Crests - Fakenham Town Council and Fakenham High Scool and College; 5. Ship - life and work of Sir Robert Seppings (a contemporary of Lord Nelson); 6. Penny Farthing - representing cycle manufacturing; 7. Britannia - cap badge of the Royal Norfolk Regiment (9th Foot); 8. Ox and Wagon-wheel - representing the cattle market and history of agricultural engineering 

Photographs

 Date taken:  14/5/2006
Date logged:  15/5/2006

Photographed by:
David Hulks

On Site Inspection

 Date:  14/5/2006

Inspected by:
David Hulks

Sources and References

 Information Board, English Heritage (unauthored) 

Database

 Date entered:  14/5/2006

Data inputter:
David Hulks