Forged Fence Span with Wild Boars (BM23)

BM23 shows a family of wild boar rooting beneath an old oak. The forged tree replaces a traditional stone post, so the hunting scene can continue for a long distance.

The boars and the tree are life-size steel sculptures, each boar forged separately by a master blacksmith and then assembled into one scene. They are close relatives of our free-standing metal animal sculptures.

The oak as the backbone

On BM23 the whole scene is built around an oak. Its trunk forms the strong core of the composition and replaces a masonry pillar, and its branches and leaves organise the rhythm of the detail, framing the family of wild boar rooting beneath. The pattern runs smoothly across the whole width, so the panel is legible and impressive from a distance.

A scene that can run for metres

Because the forged tree takes the place of a pillar, the hunting scene does not have to stop every few metres. Oaks can stand at intervals along the boundary, with boars, deer or other animals between them, so the fence becomes one long woodland. Despite the rich detail, the lines of the vegetation are controlled, so the span never looks heavy or chaotic.

Your own scene

The span in the photos was made for a client. For a new order we can make a similar one or a version fitted to another property: a different arrangement of animals, a larger or simpler tree, denser or lighter background. Each boar is forged separately by a master blacksmith and then assembled into the scene, and every panel is fully steel, stable and made for many years of use.

Boars in steel

Each boar is built up from forged sections: the head with its tusks, the bristly back, the legs and hooves. Bristles are suggested by hammered grooves, the tusks are drawn out from bar and the eyes are set deep, so the animals look alive even at close range. Piglets and adults are made at their natural sizes, which gives the scene its sense of family.

The same composition also works without a fence: a single oak with boars can stand on a lawn as a free-standing sculpture, finished and anchored like our other garden figures. Placed near a terrace, such a group becomes a favourite subject for photographs and a talking point for guests.

Motifs of nature as one scene

On panels like this, the motifs of nature form one scene rather than a single detail squeezed into a ready-made pattern. The density of the scene, the direction of the background and the placement of the motifs are matched to each property, so the panels keep a unique character and build the style of the whole fence without the impression of copying the same schemes.