lennoxlove

Lennoxlove waterspouts.

Four replacement carved spouts were needed during the renovation works at Lennoxlove, just outside Haddington. Some of the original seventeenth century carvings had already been replaced with crude victorian copies, and everybody was keen to avoid doing something similar. Time has been kind to the few original waterspouts that do survive but they were very simply carved, with huge, round eyes and really flat faces.

I did some sketches of a more detailed figure, and was encouraged to do a model, to carve a quick rough smaller example in soft red stone.

I made all four bodies the same, but made each face unique. The first I called Archie, after my neighbour, for a laugh because he was chatting to me while I carved its face, so it got double folded eyelids like his. I noticed the carving was kind of empty between the forearms and decided to give the next one a beard. The stone contractors' site agent at Lennoxlove is a biker dude and wears a plaited beard half way to his bellybutton. And so the second one became Davie. The third one I initially called Jackie after another neighbour with a very distinctive face.

Tragically while I was working on these my father, who was 86, was knocked over by a car while crossing the road and killed. The last one was carved as a memorial to him, and shows him with long hair which he grew while grieving for my mother. Although his given name was Dominick Lewis Molloy his brothers and sisters used to refer to him as Louie. He was carrying his bible when he died and it seemed fitting to give Louie a celtic cross round his neck. I also lightly incised his name and dates between his knees.

As a balance to the symbol of the cross in these polarised times we are experiencing I respectfully gave the third one a crescent as a symbol of Islam and renamed him Ali. I have asked that he be built in facing East, and that Louie gets the far view to the South over the estate and the beautiful Lammermuir hills.