15 years since Dream sculpture was unveiled at Sutton Manor coalfields

Back in 1906, the first mining shaft was sunk at Sutton Manor Colliery and countless men, working in dark and dingy conditions, produced hundreds of thousands of tonnes of coal every year for almost a century.

After Sutton Manor Colliery's eventual closure in 1991, many felt that there was a lack of monuments that paid homage to St Helens' rich industrial history, so Sutton Manor Colliery was put forward as one of 1,500 locations for Channel 4's 'Big Art Project' in 2009.

With St Helens chosen as one of just seven locations for the series - and the only one that fulfilled its plan - a group of ex-miners worked alongside Spanish artist Jaume Plensa to create 'Dream'; a huge 20-metre structure that looks to the future while referencing the coalfield's history, and which was unveiled 15 years ago today.

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Construction of the 20 metre structure fifteen years ago (Image: Cheetham Hill Construction)
Speaking about Dream, one of the organisers on the project, Gary Conley said: "We chose Jaume because of his previous work around light and humanity, but initially he came back with an idea for a huge mining lamp monument.

"Then it was a case of six burly ex-miners looking around and thinking 'who's going to tell him?' because we didn't want to offend an internationally renowned artist!

"We had to tell him that we wanted a monument that looked to the future rather than the past, although we did want to encourage people to ask questions about the history of the site.

"This is where the idea of 'Dream' came from and now you have to ask questions about it."

The structure represents hope and stands on a plinth to represent the miner's tally (Image: Steve Samosa)
Following suggestions from the ex-miners, Jaume's next design was almost the antithesis of a miner who had spent a lifetime working in dark and dangerous conditions.

Instead, he created the face of a young girl in dazzling white Spanish dolomite, intended to symbolise hope, light, and the next generation who do not have to work in such dangerous conditions.

Given an initial working title of St Helens' then ex-motto 'Ex Terra Lucem' or 'From the Ground Comes Light', the name 'Dream' was chosen for its link between the miner's dreams of daylight while working underground and a young person dreaming of a better future.

The sculpture is also constructed on top of a circular plinth, which represents the 'tally' that miners took into the coalfields to identify themselves, as a reference to the site's industrial past.

Gary at the Dream sculpture in Sutton Manor (Image: St Helens Star)
Granddad-of-three Gary, who used to market Dream for St Helens Council, added: "The main thing for us, as a group of ex-miners, is that we didn't want the site to die, and now it will never be forgotten.

"We now have a world-famous piece of public art here in St Helens, that Jaume has gone on to replicate in cities across the world.

"Frank Cotterill Boyce used Dream and 'Ex Terra Lucem' as inspiration for writing the 2012 Olympics Ceremony, and it's been featured on a Netflix series seen by more than 30 million people.

"So there is so much history to Dream, and people will always ask questions or remember the miners every time they see the sculpture."

Gary at the filming of Netflix's 'Stay Close' (Image: Gary Conley)
Although Dream has won awards, has had hundreds of thousands of visits, and featured heavily in Netflix's 'Stay Close' series, there have been criticisms that the site hasn't been looked after as well as it could be.

While Dream initially looked out over the wider region and the tens of thousands of vehicles that travel past it on the M62 every day, the land - which is managed by Forestry England - is surrounded by overgrown trees which obscure the 20 metre structure from almost all angles.

And although Dream's original plan was to be lit up at all times - with the 'Ex Terra Lucem' motto in mind - this encountered objections from the Highways Agency and the sculpture has rarely been floodlit since its 10th anniversary five years ago.

Further concerns have been raised about vandalism at Dream and the lack of parking facilities at Bold Forest Park, while others have lamented that the former Smithy Manor pub - which is private property and has been derelict for years - has not been used to capitalise on the sculpture.

Dream lit up for its 10 year anniversary (Image: St Helens Star)
Speaking about Dream and its maintenance, a St Helens Council spokesperson said: “Dream is a wonderful piece of artwork which we’re very fortunate to have here in the borough.

“While the sculpture itself is located on land in Bold Forest Park owned by the Forestry Commission, the council does carry out maintenance with the most recent clean taking place in 2022.

“For the past 15-years, Dream has drawn in an average of 80,000 visitors a year to the area – with a surge in 2022 due to the hit Netflix drama, Stay Close – and given her colossal presence in a beautiful open space, will continue to be a popular tourist attraction here for many more years to come.”

Forestry England has been contacted for comment.