ChalkStack 

Artist: Jo Chapman

Ashmere, Eastern Avenue 

what3words: ///lawn.deal.bought

ChalkStack plays on the idea of stacked drawing chalks and uses a simple cylindrical shape of steel tubes to build into a large sculpture composed of multiple elements. Inspired by the soft colours of drawing chalks, the sculpture explores geometric patterns and colours. It has a light-hearted approach that makes visible one of the many end products of quarrying chalk. The use of strong colours stands out against the trees and landscaping at the entrance so it can be seen from a distance on the surrounding roads and paths. Standing at six metres, the organic-shaped profile of the sculpture is inspired by the shapes of flint and chalk found at the site.

Installed 2024

Crystal Explosion

Artist: Jessica Lloyd-Jones

Southfleet road roundabout before turn off to Castle Hill (B259) 

what3words: ///reduce.taps.lonely

Standing proudly on an elevated mound at Southfleet Roundabout, Crystal Explosion is a striking artwork inspired by the natural form of a calcite crystal and symbolising an energetic burst of growth and possibility.  The sculpture reflects the dynamic spirit of Whitecliffe and Ebbsfleet Garden City. The four-metre-wide piece is finished in a durable, pale Jesmonite surface that glows with subtle texture by day and is illuminated turquoise by night. 

Installed 2022

Foraging Pigs

Artist: Andy Hazell

1 Cherry Orchard, DA10 1AA   

What3words: ///enable.went.trace

Foraging Pigs, is a lively group of five sculptural pigs that celebrate the history of Swanscombe Woods, where pigs once roamed freely. Made from weathering Corten Steel, the pigs are designed to naturally blend into the landscape, their surfaces gradually developing a rich rust-red patina over time. The group includes a large boar, two sows, and two smaller “hoglets”, each shown in a different pose – surprised, wary, grazing, inquisitive, and assertive. Together they bring character and movement to the site, as if captured mid-forage. Coming across them feels playful and unexpected, as though the animals had just wandered into view.

Installed 2021

Landscape Illumination

Artist: Jessica Lloyd-Jones

Hedge Place 

what3words: ///plays.souk.chill

Landscape Illumination takes the form of eight illuminated striations set into the ground, echoing the layers of stone beneath our feet. A subtle artwork, it is inspired by the turquoise blue of the nearby lake.  Strips of energy-efficient LED lighting run alongside these stone lines, glowing softly by night. By day, the striations themselves form sculptural pathways across the landscape.

Installed 2022

Rare Plants

Artist: Jenny Pickford

Close to Castle Hill Community Centre 

what3words: ///runner.hops.honey

Rare Plants is a sculpture by artist-blacksmith Jenny Pickford, created in celebration of the unusual and delicate species once found in Swanscombe Woods.

Standing three and half metres high, the artwork is forged from metal, glass, and stone, combining strength with fragility in a way that reflects the precious balance of the natural world. The hand-blown glass elements catch and play with the light, while the sculptural steel forms give the piece presence and permanence within its setting.

Installed at Castle Hill, the sculpture references the area’s natural heritage while also looking forward, reminding us of the importance of protecting rare plants and the ecosystems they support.

Installed 2021

Straight Tusked Elephant, Mother and Calf

what3words: ///shops.noble.wiping

Straight-Tusked Elephant and Calf is a lifelike sculpture of an elephant and calf that honours prehistoric mammoth discoveries found in the Ebbsfleet valley.  Crafted from woven bronze wire over a steel frame, the sculptures celebrate a tender and maternal connection between mother and baby.

Installed 2016

The Ghost Follies of Castle Hill

Artists: FleaFollyArchitects

Lakeside, Castle Hill South 

what3words: Large folly: ///serve.groups.invest

what3words: Small folly: ///aside.afford.guitar

The Ghost Follies of Castle Hill are two architectural artworks on the lakeshore at Castle Hill South. The larger structure rises on a cluster of slender timber columns, creating a canopy-like form that frames views of the sky, lake, and dramatic chalk cliffs beyond. A smaller companion piece, carved from the larger folly’s design, stands at the start of the jetty as a “throne for one” – a quiet place to pause and reflect.

Inspired by the area’s rich history, the follies recall the wooden castle keeps that once stood nearby. They are also rooted in the present: children and young people from local schools worked with the artists to design patterns that were pressed into the concrete cores of both structures, leaving a lasting community mark.

Installed 2024

The Homecoming

Artist: Laurence Edwards

Elm Green, Castle Hill 

what3words: ///yoga.reason.gazed

The Homecoming stands two metres tall and is inspired by the Norman settlers who once occupied this landscape and the ancient earthworks of Sweyne’s Camp. Edwards is known for his ability to fuse myth, history, and human form, and here he evokes the return of a Norman soldier, a figure that speaks both to the area’s deep past and to themes of belonging and settlement.

Cast in bronze, the figure stands as a sentinel and storyteller, connecting the new community with the layered history of the site.

Through its material strength and human scale, the sculpture reflects on journeys, resilience, and the enduring marks of history on place, offering residents and visitors alike a moment of reflection within the growing landscape of Ebbsfleet Garden City.

Installed 2021