Who created the art work?
The Parish Council and the District Council advertised the commission, inviting artists to submit ideas that engaged with the area, the setting and the history. Designs and ideas were reviewed, with the successful artists commissioned to create and install the work.
The trail features two information boards which were created by local artists Jane Tomlinson and Lorna Marrison (sadly, Lorna passed away in May 2026).
Jane’s painted information board took her about 60 hours to create once the research had been completed. “Creating art for a public place is really marvellous,” she says. “I still love my painting of the Wharf Stream Way. If I were to paint it again, I wouldn't change a thing. I know it gives many people pleasure to look at, so I'd say that's a result!” (Find out more about Jane on her website: Jane Tomlinson Artist The Art of Jane Tomlinson)
Will Glanfield created the bench known as ‘Eynsham Waterways’. “I am very keen on benches as a way of drawing people in and inviting them to sit, to take time to be still and engage with the seat as an artwork and also to take in the surroundings,” explains Will.
“The actual design is ambiguous in its meaning. It could be seen as the ribs of boats, or rhythms of the flow of water on the Thames, or anything your imagination cares to see. There are direct references to the barges and the produce they would carry through carved text on the timber uprights/legs.”
Godfrey Phillips was commissioned to create ‘The Linesman’, a pair of carved figures created on site using local oak. “The figures were carved on site by myself and my studio assistant Amanda Bonfiglioli over a two-month period,” recalls Godfrey. “We were a very popular attraction, with lots of regular visitors taking an interest in the work! I think this is very important for public artworks; it gives the community a sense of ownership of the work.”
Ten years on, Godfrey remains proud of his work. “I think in many ways that it was the most successful public artwork I have ever made. I am very, very fond of it.”
There are also two carved posts along the trail, which were based on the designs of competition winners from Eynsham Community Primary School students and the Day Centre.
Discover it yourself!
Cllr Sue Osborne remembers the process of creating the Wharf Stream Way art trail and continues to enjoy and appreciate the circular walk as an Eynsham resident:
“it's a very popular and pretty route, and I know that it's enjoyed by many people, particularly when they come upon The Linesmen carving, and the carved bench on the bank of the Thames,” she says.