Glass panels twinkle in the woodland sunlight, the amber and green fused glass are part of a new Devil’s Leap Bridge that is nestled in the heart of Canonteign Falls. Canonteign Falls, lying in the Teign Valley, is an otherworldly natural paradise and home to the largest manmade waterfall in England. The modern bridge is brilliantly juxtaposed with the ancient fern landscape. More art than bridge, the installation has taken 2 years to reach fruition with huge logistical hurdles to overcome. It is the realisation of a dream for estate owner Kate Baylis “I wanted a magical structure for this incredibly special location, to create abridge with a charming twist that children and adults will want to return to again and again”.
Kate commissioned artist Elaine Mason whose passion lies in creating fused glass art inspired by nature, to make 40 glass panels which make up the bridge, each with a unique intricate fern design. As one of Elaine’s largest commission to date she comments “this has been an incredible journey with significant learning along the way but we are so proud of the end result, it was an absolute joy to have been part of this project”.
PICTURE ABOVE: The Devils Leap Bridge made by a collaboration between Kate Baylis (Estate Owner), Perkins Engineering, Elaine Mason (glass on glass), Vince Pipe (Yellowhammer stonemasons) and TRUE Consulting (structural engineers)