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York Trailblazers Sculpture List

Trailblazers W H Auden 9
Trailblazers York Young Carers 5
Trailblazers Mary Ward 6
Trailblazers Faith Gray 3
Trailblazers Ivy Bangle Lady 2
About The Trail

1 August - 30 September 2024 🪲

Brought to you by Make It York and York Civic Trust, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Find the 17 sculptures scattered throughout the city. Each sculpture represents a different trailblazer of York, designed to capture the legacy of these inspirational people.

Each trailblazer is represented on a Tansy Beetle, known as "The Jewel of York". The Tansy Beetle’s perseverance reflects the efforts of these incredible people from York, who have all contributed to important parts of York's history. Discover these beautiful pieces of art across the city this summer!

Some of the sculpture artwork may only exist for a few weeks, but the Tansy Beetle itself and an accessible digital record of the artwork will be able to continue to celebrate York’s Trailblazers.

▸Check out the Trailblazers cycling route

Follow Visit York for the latest updates on the Trailblazers Trail

Trail Directions

1. The Luddites

Find me at: Eye of York | W3W: ///glue.lime.match

Researched by: The Good Organisation

Designed by: Alex Gray

Rather than celebrate an individual ‘trailblazer,’ it serves to commemorate 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813. This sculpture was collaboratively created by a small group of people affected by homelessness with the Good Organisation.

The Luddites York Trailblazer sculpture 1
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2. Coppergate Woman

From 1st - 6th August, find me at: Parliament Street | W3W: ///nights.ship.noting

From 6th August onwards, find me at: Coppergate Walk | W3W: ///class.glee.fired

Researched by: York University Archaeology Department

Designed by: Sarah Schiewe

The Viking Age sometimes comes across as a world of rich and powerful men: kings, chieftains and raiders. This makes The Coppergate Woman, (Known affectionately by the research team and artists as Vigdis) an important Trailblazer: she tells us about her life as a migrant woman living with disabilities in York 1000 years ago.

Trailblazers Coppergate Woman 1
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3. Delma Tomlin

Find me at: Merchant Adventurers' Hall | W3W: ///asking.ballots.wells

Researched by: Researched by Merchant Adventurers Hall and York Centre for Early Music

Designed by: HazardOne

Delma Tomlin MBE is a living trailblazer. As the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, based within the medieval church of St Margaret’s in Walmgate, Delma has been a pivotal figure in music making – focusing her energies on supporting young professional musicians locally, nationally and internationally – and flying the flag for York whenever possible.

Delma Tomin York Trailblazer sculpture 4
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4. John Chesterman and Stuart Feather

Find me at: Spurriergate | W3W: ///spark.tribe.wide

Researched by: Queer Arts

Designed by: Jade Blood

John Chesterman and Stuart Feather, both from York were instrumental in the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) which organised the first ever Pride march in 1972.

Trailblazers Feather Chesterman 3
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5. Anne Lister

Find me at: Holy Trinity Church | W3W: ///guards.belt.exile

Researched by: York University and Churches Conservation Trust

Designed by: Shannon Reed

Anne Lister’s (1791-1840) life and diaries have blazed a trail for the LGBTQIA+ community today, helping people understand their history and embrace their identity.

Trailblazers Anne Lister 6
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6. Faith Gray

Find me at: Grays Court Hotel | W3W: ///mixed.erase.dices

Nominated by: York St John

Designed by: Martha Beaumont

Faith Gray (1751-1826), born in York in, dedicated her life to improving the conditions of girls and women in York. Her legacy of compassion and social progress endured beyond her death, paving the way for future generations of women reformers.

Trailblazers Faith Gray 2
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7. Mary Kitson Clark

Find me at: Museum Gardens | W3W: ///allow.zealous.split

Researched by: Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Designed by: Sian Ellis

Mary Kitson Clark, (1905-2005), was one of the first female archaeologists to be recognised in a professional capacity in the UK, because of her significant contributions to the study and conservation of York's archaeological heritage.

Trailblazers Mary Kitson Clark 1
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8. WH Auden

Find me at: West Offices | W3W: ///snacks.fires.wasp

Researched and designed by: Navigators Art and Performance

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in Bootham, York, Informed by science and engineering, his fascination with the world and its workings was expressed in a myriad of poetic forms, earning him the title “the Picasso of modern poetry”.

Trailblazers W H Auden 4
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9. York Young Carers

Find me at: Principal Hotel | W3W: ///silks.couch.ticket

Researched by: York Young Carers

Designed by: Zoe Phillips - By Deckle and Hide

Unpaid Young Adult Carers aged 16-25 from the York Carers Centre worked with artist Zoe Phillips to represent unpaid carers in York, including both identified and hidden carers.

York Young Carers York Trailblazer sculpture
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10. Mary Ward

Find me at: The Bar Convent Living Heritage Site | W3W: ///healers.behave.stud

Researched by: All Saints School and The Bar Convent

Designed by: Jen Dring

Mary Ward (1585-1645) was a visionary Yorkshire woman who revolutionized education for girls in England. Despite societal and religious restrictions, Mary dedicated her life to providing equal education opportunities for girls, believing "there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things."

Trailblazers Mary Ward 2
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11. Ivory Bangle Lady

Find me at: York Railway Station | W3W: ///makes.smart.decks

Researched by: York University Archaeology Department

Designed by: York Anti Racist Collective

The woman who has become known as the ‘Ivory Bangle Lady’ was buried at Sycamore Terrace in York in the second half of the fourth century CE. As a trailblazer, the Lady has marked an important path in showing us that ethnic and religious diversity and immigration is written in York’s history from its very beginning.

Trailblazers Ivy Bangle Lady 4
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12. Annie Coultate

Find me at: Fishergate Primary School | W3W: ///exit.wanted.ties

Researched by: Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington Local History Society

Designed by: Christine Jopling

Annie Coultate (1856 - 1931), a dedicated suffragette, was instrumental in the women's suffrage movement in York.

Trailblazers Annie Coultate 2
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13. Mary Tuke

Find me at: St Lawrence Parish Church | W3W: ///trace.linen.mason

Researched by: Hempland School

Designed by: Heather Dawe and Sarah Jackson

Mary Tuke was a pioneering woman who displayed remarkable ambition, resilience, and courage. In 1725, as a Quaker in her thirties who had lost her family, Mary opened a grocer's shop in Walmgate, York, defying societal norms.

Trailblazers Mary Tuke 4
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14. Roma and Geoff

Find me at: Millennium Bridge Park | W3W: ///risk.glove.hugs

Researched by: The Tansy Beetle Action Group

Designed by: Cathy Simpson

The Tansy Beetle Action Group (TBAG) was established in 2008 by Geoff and Roma Oxford (University of York), following the designation of the rare and beautiful Tansy beetle as a UK conservation priority.

Trailblazers Roma Jeff Oxford 1
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15. June Hargreaves

Find me at: Rowntree Park | W3W: ///parts.comical.vibrates

Researched by: Herstory.York and Make Space for Girls

Designed by: Emma Feneley

The way historic cities like York protected their heritage was transformed in the mid 1960s by a new law on ‘Conservation Areas’. This was the idea of June Hargreaves, a young York town planner. June became York’s Senior Planning Officer in 1961.

Trailblazers June Hargreaves 3
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16. Michael Rowntree

Find me at: Homestead Park | W3W: ///frogs.booth.woes

Researched by: The Rowntree Society

Designed by: Natalie McKeown

Michael Rowntree (1919-2007), member of the globally renowned York confectionary family, held a number of senior roles in Oxfam and was Chairman from 1971 to 1977, during a time when they delivered their biggest ever aid package and set up the country's first textile recycling plant.

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17. Rosie Wall

Find me at: Sanderson Community House, Acomb | W3W: ///cable.plan.offer

Researched by: The Place at Sanderson Community House

Designed by: Leo Morey

Rosie Wall has dedicated herself to the Chapelfields Community. She was instrumental in developing the Sanderson Court Community House (Now 'The Place'), and 'Crossroads', a safe space for young people, addressing significant anti-social behavior in the area.

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