Chosen by a group of ex-miners and commissioned by St Helens Council as part of of The Big Art Project, Dream stands 20 metres high on top of the former Sutton Manor Colliery overlooking the M62, a gateway sculpture for both Merseyside and Greater Manchester at the heart of the North West.

The work takes the form of the head of a little girl with eyes closed, seemingly in a dream-like state. It is the artist’s response to the brief and subsequent conversations with the ex-miners and members of the wider local community who wanted a work that looked to a brighter future and created a beautiful and contemplative space for future generations, not least their own grandchildren, at the top of the former spoil heap. The work has been fabricated in pre-cast concrete, with a very white, almost luminescent finish using a white marble/concrete aggregate mix in marked contrast to the black of the coal that still lies below.

Why not take a walk up to the sculpture? The sculpture is at the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery, close to Junction 7 of the M62, midway between Manchester and Liverpool. Dream is surrounded by woodland and offers great views across the Cheshire and Lancashire plains, out to the mountains of Snowdonia, the Pennines, the Peak District, and some of Manchester’s landmarks, including Beetham Tower and the Old Trafford football stadium. 

Free parking is available at the King George V car park (Jubits Lane, St Helens, WA9 4BB) from where it is a 10-minute walk up to Dream. 

The Big Art Project was an ambitious public art commissioning initiative from Channel 4 supported by Arts Council England. The Big Art Project in St Helens was delivered by St Helens Council, in partnership with the national funders.