Nichol Wheatley

The Beithir is an iconic sculpture, which will also be one of the largest community art projects ever seen in Scotland. The first section opened to the public on the 1st of March at Stockingfield Bridge in Northwest Glasgow. It has been commissioned by Scottish Canals from the artist, Nichol Wheatley and will be delivered in partnership with Make It Glasgow, a local community interest company.

The Beithir, in Scottish mythology, is a lightening serpent, one of the fuatha, the family of mythical monsters that include the Kelpies who reside at the other end of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The Beithir is a 120-metre-long artwork with an amazing, sculpted head. It has been formed from the spare earth from the landscaping of the site. This formed earth has been covered with ferrocrete and will be mosaiced over the next five years. It is the creation of Nichol Wheatley, a renowned Scottish artist who is known for his paintings and mosaic work. Nichol has served as the artist curator for the Stockingfield art project since 2021. Together with Alasdair Hamilton, the senior project manager for Scottish Canals they were keen to investigate the idea that a large iconic artwork might contribute to both the civic identity and the perception of a local district.

Fundamental to this project is the community engagement with the three local communities that this new bridge reconnects. This community engagement will be led by Make It Glasgow, local community interest company who aim to build community around Scotland's clay heritage. They are looking to build a sustainable practice around this work that will be fundamental to the furthering of a sense of community in these three districts and the strengthening of these communities. As such, the scale and tile making is a vehicle for the community work that will be delivered by Make It Glasgow. As well as this work MIG will look to reach out to schools and other communities beyond the three local districts to extend this work and to help create a sense of location within Scotland.

Where the body has been formed from reclaimed earth from the project the head was a large, complicated sculpture. The sculpture was designed to show a Beithir head with the mouth open. Within the mouth there is a World Egg - a symbol of renewal and hope. This was a very complicated structural construction. Not only did it have to function structurally, but the support structure had to be hidden by the creature’s massive teeth. The entire structure is made to the highest standards. Consequently, all of the steel sculpture was hot dip galvanized.

This project is by Nichol Wheatley for Scottish Canals. It was fabricated by Sculpture and Design. The mosaic work was by Nichol Wheatley and his team. 

This project was supported by Glasgow City Council, Sustrans and EB Scotland.

Photographs © Nichol Wheatley / Peter Sandground