Arcot Street Triangle-“Our Own Oasis”
The Inspiration for the Project
Arcot Triangle park, for so long, was quite an isolated area. There wasn’t much to look at and despite the bench, no one would ever take the time to enjoy the space. But after a grant was given by the council as part of the Penarth Heights restoration, the community came together to create something wonderful.
The smallest park in Penarth, with the help of Penarth Gardening Club, Penarth and Vale of Glamorgan Council, local schools and residents, has become a place of tranquility and relaxation. Not to mention, now an amazing place for bees and other wildlife.
Once the idea was in motion to make something of the Arcot Street Triangle, David Mackie was commissioned to do a piece of artwork for the park. And after a lot of planning and asking around the community, David created a piece of artwork inspired by the area’s deep marine history.
I spoke to Katie, an integral part of this parks restoration; “This area of Penarth has a rich maritime history, and that was the inspiration for the bronze tattoos”
The bronze ‘tattoos’, that were embedded in the rocks that stand proudly in the centre of the park, follow a Maritime theme, which links back to the history of Penarth. From the time of the Vikings, that area of Penarth has been rooted in Seafaring. The artwork embraces that part of our history, linking with the oldest part of Penarth- “Dagger Town”, this was part of the Docks suburb of Penarth.
Sailors tattoos weren’t just for decoration, the represented a part of their culture and superstitions. Many sailors used to believe that certain tattoo held a certain meaning, and would protect them and bring them luck out at sea.
| SWALLOW | Guarantees safe return home |
| FULLY RIGGED SHIP | Traversal of cape horn |
| GOLDEN DRAGON | The international date line |
| MERMAID | A reminder of the dangers of the sea |
| NAUTICAL STAR | To guide a sailor home |
| TURTLE | Crossing the equator |
| CHICKEN AND PIG | To protect from drowning |
| SHARK | Protection from being eaten |
| COMPASS | So a sailor never loses their way |
| HEART AND DAGGER | For the lost comrade |
| NEPTUNE | Crossing the equator |
| ANCHOR | Stability, loyalty and honour |
| KEY AND FLOWERS | A key to the heart |
Although tattoos grew in popularly amongst people who lived in the same areas, sailors had created a distinct tattooing culture. These bronze ‘tattoos’ are a great way to display that culture, which was once so important to so many people.
The Importance to the Community
Penarth has always been a place where the community is connected. Locals of Arcot Street saw the potential in their pocket park and did their best in creating a beautiful space that everyone could enjoy.
Katie said; “It is such a lovely space to have for our neighbourhood but before this, no one would even walk through it, let alone sit down. It’s been lovely to see the whole community get involved in helping. Everyone doing there bit for create this space. And now, whenever I walk past, I love seeing people enjoying the space.”
“It’s like we’ve created our own oasis.”
This project was far from a one-man job as everyone had a say, and can now be enjoyed by everyone.
The Wide Uses of the Park
This “pocket park” hasn’t just become a place where people can relax and enjoy the peace, it has also been used for a variety of things by many people in the community. The Penarth Gardening club holds meetings there every Saturday to share in their enjoyment of gardening and to pass on their knowledge and skills to wanna-be gardeners.
Events have also been held in their space, from Halloween celebrations and Christmas carolling, further bringing the community together.
The Process
The Process of turning this patch of land into what it is now was no easy task, and required a lot of helping hands.
David Mackie started his series of workshops in March 2020. He wanted to get as many people involved as possible. He brought in residents and school children from Albert Road Primary School and Cogan Primary School, to get involved in the design process. Over night adults and children took part in these meetings and workshops, most of which taking place at Penarth Library for locals and various meetings at Belle View Pavilion with the Gardening Group.
Covid-19 didn’t slow them down, continuing the meetings and workshops over Zoom.
“The consultation and design workshops took an exploratory approach, intended as a part of the creative process as a whole, these discussions and workshops have influenced and guided the themes and idea for the artwork.”
What lies ahead
The latest addition to the Arcot Street Triangle and these charming Bee Hotels, that have been planted in each corner of the park.
Katie said, “We planted these to help encourage bees to visit the park. We’re always planning on planting sunflowers and more bee-friendly flowers to further help the bees. We wanted to create something that would help the environment but also fit in with the garden. And I think they work really well.”
Katie also told us what their plans they had for the park in the future, “We want to just keep working at it. We’re planning on doing a bit of de-weddings and perhaps planting some flowers around the rocks, to further brighten up this area.”
“We’re also planning a celebration where we can fly the bunting (bunting that the local children designed and have yet to be raised- except for a few test runs), and we’d like to encourage more locals in Penarth to see want we’ve created.”
