Bronze New Age, Andover
Commissioned by Test Valley Borough Council, Picket Twenty is a permanent heritage interpretation scheme embedded within a new housing development in Andover. The project responds to the presence of significant prehistoric burial remains beneath the site, translating archaeological research into a contemporary public space.
Through consultation with local archaeologists and targeted community engagement, we explored how ancient burial grounds once acted as markers of connection, territory, and belonging. This historical relationship to land informed both the concept and spatial design of the work.
The resulting intervention is a sculpted landform amphitheatre - a 2m high crescent-shaped earthwork designed as a place for gathering, pause, and reflection. From above, the form encloses a series of concentric circles, each defined through material contrast and craft:
- A cylindrical clay brick floor
- A bespoke circular oak bench, locally sourced
- A mosaic inlay referencing Bronze Age decorative traditions
- A central granite totem table, precision-crafted
The granite totem is engraved with a site map marking the exact positioning of the prehistoric burial grounds beneath the development, making invisible histories visible within the everyday landscape.
The external slope of the landform is planted as a meadow using site-appropriate species, strengthening ecological value and integrating the artwork into the surrounding nature reserve.
Picket Twenty functions as both interpretation and infrastructure - a permanent civic space shaped by archaeology, landscape, and community dialogue.
Through consultation with local archaeologists and targeted community engagement, we explored how ancient burial grounds once acted as markers of connection, territory, and belonging. This historical relationship to land informed both the concept and spatial design of the work.
The resulting intervention is a sculpted landform amphitheatre - a 2m high crescent-shaped earthwork designed as a place for gathering, pause, and reflection. From above, the form encloses a series of concentric circles, each defined through material contrast and craft:
- A cylindrical clay brick floor
- A bespoke circular oak bench, locally sourced
- A mosaic inlay referencing Bronze Age decorative traditions
- A central granite totem table, precision-crafted
The granite totem is engraved with a site map marking the exact positioning of the prehistoric burial grounds beneath the development, making invisible histories visible within the everyday landscape.
The external slope of the landform is planted as a meadow using site-appropriate species, strengthening ecological value and integrating the artwork into the surrounding nature reserve.
Picket Twenty functions as both interpretation and infrastructure - a permanent civic space shaped by archaeology, landscape, and community dialogue.
Heritage Interpretation
Public Realm
Landscape Intervention
Public Realm
Landscape Intervention
