A mysterious artwork made of slate has appeared in the UK’s Lake District.
It’s believed to have been created by an anonymous artist dubbed the “Borrowdale Banksy.”
The incognito sculptor’s 2ft (60cm) semi-circular arch, propped up against a jagged rock, has been hidden near the top of a fell in the Lake District.
It is believed to have been created by the same person who created other similar sculptures that have previously been posted online.
Clive Rowlandson, 52, who captured the ‘fantastic’ formation, said he’d only found the work after a fellow admirer gave him rough directions to its location.
But the car engineer, from Penrith, Cumbria, refused to share details of where the statue had been erected, fearing it would be knocked down by vandals.
He said: “I think they’re fantastic—absolutely fantastic.
“I came across the work a month and a half ago. A friend of mine told me the rough area where it was, but it still took quite a bit of finding. It’s buried on the hillside.”
“I don’t want to go into where it is as there seems to be a small number of people in Keswick that don’t like them.
“They tend to go out and knock them down when they find out about them.
“My photo isn’t very clear, with the background, which fell it’s on. You wouldn’t know it unless you really, really knew the area.”
Rumors have spread across social media about the sculptor’s identity, with some even claiming to have stumbled upon them while they were creating their work.
Others have suggested that due to the size of the pieces, at least two people must be responsible for putting the arches together.
Clive said he didn’t know the artist’s name but was aware of a few local people who could be responsible for the works.
He added: “I still don’t know who makes them. There are a couple of names that have been mentioned, but I’m not 100% sure.”
The first jagged rock formation was discovered in May 2021 by photographer Carl Halliday.
And one of the most famous sculptures that appeared on a ridge overlooking the village of Buttermere, in the Lake District, was toppled in May 2022.
In August last year, Daniel Farrington, 30, and his wife Agnieszka, 34, found a circular work measuring 5ft high while wild camping in Cumbria.
But the pair also refused to give up its secret location, believing that someone would destroy it.
Daniel, from Carnforth, UK, said: “Everyone has been asking me where it is, and I have kept quiet for a couple of reasons.
“I want to try and preserve it for as long as possible in case people do destroy it.
“It’s not on a main path, and it’s a bit of a scramble to get to it. There’s a lot of slate in that area which is very unstable.
“I don’t want a lot of people going up there, but I know there will be a time when it comes out, but I don’t want to be responsible for sending people up there and hurting themselves.”
A spokesperson for the Lake District National Park Authority said they didn’t know the name of the artist but weren’t surprised that the scenery had inspired them.
They said: “We’re aware of this latest addition to the Fells.
“The artist responsible remains a mystery to us, but we know that our spectacular landscapes have inspired people for hundreds of years.
“From Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth to songstress Taylor Swift more recently.
“The Lake District has even been inscribed as a World Heritage Site due to its evolving, cultural landscape.”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
Edited by Kyana Jeanin Rubinfeld and Joseph Donald Gunderson