Poet Laureate unveils poem carved into stones at Brimham Rocks

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was in Nidderdale yesterday to unveil one of his poems carved into stones at Brimham Rocks.

Simon Armitage, who has been Poet Laureate since 2019, composed Balancing Act based on the popular Nidderdale attraction. The work was commissioned by the National Trust. 

Within the poem, the Yorkshire-born poet illustrates why the rocks are such a significant spot for both visitors and nature.

Two large stones – which double-up as an art installation – each showcase a verse of the poem. They have been positioned at Brimham on the north moor,  next to the rocks to offer a place of reflection and serenity.

The poem was carved by the National Trust’s lead specialist craftsperson, Richard Dawson, into Yorkshire sandstone called Witton Fell.

The stone was chosen because its colour and texture is representative of Brimham’s stone formations.

Pic: National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

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Mr Armitage said:

“It was a chance to get reacquainted with the rocks. I’d explored them as a child and in my memory, they were almost mythical or pieces of an alien landscape.

“Coming back to the area as an adult and a poet they were no less fascinating and mysterious but carried new messages connected to the environment, the precarious state of nature and the importance of wild spaces to our well-being.”

Brimham Rocks has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The status, attributed by Natural England, is used to protect environmental heritage sites in the British Isles from development, insensitive land management, or pollution.

Pic: National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

Mr Armitage continued:

“I also discovered that Brimham Rocks is more than just the stones, and the poem is a celebration of the wider ecosystem, from some of its more glamorous and obvious manifestations to micro-organisms, open moorland, and seemingly empty skies.”

Justin Scully, general manager at Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and to have a physical representation of his poem Balancing Act as a permanent art installation on the moor at Brimham.

“We want to make Brimham Rocks feel more relevant to people and their everyday lives. We want it to be a place of reflection and inspiration, where visitors can come and spend some quiet time connecting with nature as well as a place where they come to climb, hike and play.”

More information on the poem and other ongoing events at Brimham Rocks can be found here.