Our upcoming Harrogate show garden brings together a quiet collaboration between landscape design and sculpture, celebrating a shared fascination with nature and the wider landscape. In this guest feature, Jennifer Tetlow, the sculptor behind our stone bird pieces, offers an insight into her craft and inspiration. Carved from locally sourced stone not far from Ilkley (Branshaw Quarry), these sculptures reflect a commitment to natural, enduring materials—an approach that sits comfortably within Nordic design principles, where simplicity, longevity and a strong connection to place are key. The birds themselves are a subtle but powerful gesture: a nod to the wildlife we hope to welcome into the garden, while adding moments of interest even in the stillness of winter. More than ornament, they demonstrate how carefully chosen sculpture can enrich a garden—bringing texture, narrative and year-round presence to the space.
Guest Blog Introduction – Jennifer Tetlow
I’m a sculptor in stone, direct carving in a traditional ‘hammer and chisel’ way. The birds and mammals I see in the upland North Yorkshire landscape surrounding my workshop are an inspiration.
The natural world and wildlife fill me with wonder. My sculpture is about this feeling. And stone of course.
My sculpture is made for the garden, as tactile, quietly expressive feature or as smaller scale one-of-a-kind artworks for the home.
Early signs of Spring on the moor
There is a point in early Spring when the landscape begins to shift, though almost nothing at first appears to have changed.
The ground still holds the memory of winter, the colours remain subdued, and the air carries a quietness that feels familiar. And yet, in small and easily missed ways, something begins to move.
The first Curlew calls have started to carry across the moor in the early mornings. Their voices seem to arrive before anything else, long and wavering, travelling further than the eye can follow. Not long after, the Lapwings begin to return, their flight low and turning, touching the ground and lifting again.
Golden Plover pass through more quietly, their presence often felt before it is seen.
These are small signs, but they mark a change in the rhythm of the place. The light sits differently across the peaty brown, and the edges of the day begin to soften.
Branshaw Birds - work in progress
As a creative collaborator in the restorative Breathing Space garden, I am inviting visitors to reconnect with nature through stillness, shape and sanctuary.
In a garden that centres calm, wellness and elegance, my sculpture becomes a still point, and holding space.
I’m honoured to be part of this special show garden at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. Among the foliage and textures of the planting, my sculpture is an anchor – a small companion.
Carving is well underway and bird shapes beginning to emerge. Each piece is worked in a fine-grained Yorkshire sandstone from Branshaw Quarry, supplied by Ashlar Stone Products. The pale grey colour of the stone, with hints of buff, lend a gentle softness to the look of the birds, but don’t be misled, it is a robust and durable stone, sincere, sound and grounding.
The birds will be placed within the garden to perch in rhythm with the foliage and textures, and show how sculpture and small spaces belong together. How art, nature and daily life can settle together.
