PIECING TOGETHER THE PAST
NAME : Piecing Together the Past DATE : 2025 LOCATION : Heritage Centre, Bosworth CLIENT : Hinkley & Bosworth Borough council PARTNERS : John Merrill, Penta Patterns
AIM
Bosworth1485 sculpture trail officially launched on 22 August 2025 as part of the Bosworth Festival of History.
A trail through the landscape - told within 5 chapters.
CONCEPT
Chapter 5: Piecing together the past
The events of one day in 1485 are long gone. No-one knows what really happened. But all around these fields there are clues. Cannonballs, badges, fragments of weaponry lying undisturbed for centuries. All just waiting to be dug up.
But clues do not speak for themselves. They have to be pieced together to form a story, like a jigsaw puzzle. Except there are only ever a few pieces, so there is always more than one story they could be telling.
This is an artwork about archaeology.
Fragments of metal have been pieced together to form a circular object-an object that looks to be a coin, though as yet there are only a few fragments of it.
At present, most of it is see through, and though its form can already be made out, its two sides are different.
Viewed from one side,the object seems to be a coin bearing the face of RichardIll, hence the story that is emerging from piecing together a cluster of fragments is the story of the end of Richard's reign.
Viewed from the other side, it seems to be a coin bearing the face of Henry VII, so the same fragments appear to be telling the story of the new king.
UNVEILING
The artwork is set on a turntable to ensure the sun shines equally on both kings. The artwork was used as part of the 2024 rose-laying ceremony to commemorate those who fell at the Battle of Bosworth.
PROCESS
MAKING
A scale model of the two-headed coin design was modelled by hand in our studio, and then 3D scanned.
Penta patterns a remarkable company based in Hinckley, used this data to CNC cut the shape of the coin in a large disc of amber coloured cast resin.
The jigsaw piece sections had been cut out previously and filled with a solid resin which we then coloured to resemble an original medieval groat coin.
“The final stages of production focused on the finishing touches to make sure the piece was exactly as the designer envisioned. Our team hand-finished and lacquered the art piece, leaving a smooth surface and ensuring its durability.
A particularly distinctive feature of the project was the hand-painting of the jigsaw elements by artists, Stephen and Peter. Their craftsmanship ensured that the finished piece was not only technically precise but also visually captivating, and added character to the overall design.
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The timber supporting frame was built by sculptor John Merrill using Welsh green - oak. It was delivered in sections and assembled in the courtyard of the Battlefield Centre.
“Piecing Together the Past is located in the courtyard of the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre on Ambion Hill and marks both the beginning and the end of the trail.
This symbolic sculpture of a two sided coin portraying both Richard III and Henry VII speaks to the detective work of archaeology and the ever-evolving nature of historical understanding.
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