The Singing Ringing Tree in Lancashire, England

The United Kingdom is well known for its traditional and unusual architecture. The musical sculpture in Crown Point, Burnley, is definitely a nice addition.  A 10 feet tall sculpture is wind-powered and consists of swirling pipes, which resemble a shape of a bent tree. The constant wind blowing through the pipes, creates the eerie sound. The tree is interesting to see and the view is pleasant.

The Construction of the Metal Pipes Tree

The Singing Ringing Tree was constructed using galvanized steel pipes, because of their aesthetic qualities and for tuning. The sound produced varies according to not only the length, but also the added underside narrow slits/holes of specific pipes. Since the pipes are bent to the winds, it produces a low tone song, that sounds melancholic to visitors.

The twisted metal tree was designed by Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, as part of a project meant for sculpturing or fashioning various landmarks across the countryside of East Lancashire. The project was initiated by the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network.

The metal tree won the architectural excellence National Award, a brainchild of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). It is thus a solid and impressive man-made tourist attraction.

This particular site, used to house a re-diffusion transmission site/station. The station used to have deteriorated brick building and idle telegraph lines. The station was pulled apart and the unused lines cut down for recycling. Now, the metal tree stands out in the stark and rolling landscape of the Pennine Hills or Pennine Chain.

One of the Panopticons Scattered Throughout Lancashire

Panopticonsis a term, that was coined by Jeremy Bentham, a 19th-century philosopher, and it means a device or space, that provides a panoramic view. Apart from the metal tree, other 3 panopticons scattered throughout the landscape of Lancashire are “The Atom of Pendle”, the Blackburn Colourfields, and of course, The Haslingden Halo. The sculptures were designed respectively by Katarina Novomestska and Peter Meacock, Sophie Smallhorn (artist) and Jo Rippon (architecture), and John Kennedy (LandLab architect).

Apart from the name of this sculpture describing what it is, the name is also a tribute to the BBC television series in the 1960s or early 1970s having the same name. The Singing Ringing Tree British television series used to emit a mood, that almost matches the noise/sound produced by this tree.

The film is often described as one of the weirdest and creepiest children show in the world. This East German import TV program was about a prince and her princess, numerous talking magical creatures, and a six-foot-tall dwarf. The program was done in the style of Brothers Grimm and it became a cult film, that terrified and obsessed the British children of a generation.

It was originally planned to be just a feature film. It was eventually divided and then aired as a 3-part mini-series for television. In 2004, the television mini-series was voted by a poll of Radio Times as the 20th scariest and ghostliest TV show ever.

Address: Crown Point Rd, Burnley BB11 3QZ, UK