Sentinel (sculpture) facts for kids
The Sentinel is a giant sculpture, about 16 meters (52 feet) tall, created by an artist named Tim Tolkien. You can find it on Spitfire Island, which is a big roundabout in Birmingham, England. It's right where Chester Road meets the A47 Fort Parkway, at the entrance to the Castle Vale area.
This amazing sculpture is close to Junction 5 of the M6 motorway and the Jaguar car factory. This factory used to be the Castle Bromwich aircraft factory, where many famous planes were built. The sculpture shows three Spitfire planes looking like they are flying up into the sky in different directions. The Spitfires are half their real size and are made from light aluminium. Curved steel beams support them, looking like the "vapour trails" planes leave behind. The sculpture perfectly shows how a Spitfire looks when it's flying. It also remembers the nearby Castle Bromwich factory, where most of Britain's Spitfires were built during wartime.
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History of the Sentinel Sculpture
The idea for the Sentinel sculpture started way back in 1997. This project has even won awards! It was an important part of making the Castle Vale area a better place to live. The money for the sculpture came from the National Lottery.
Designing the Sculpture
Tim Tolkien was chosen to be the "artist in residence" for the project. This meant he worked closely with the local people. He asked residents what kind of art they would like to see. They really liked the area's connection to World War II aircraft. So, they decided a sculpture with Spitfires would be perfect! The Sentinel sculpture was officially opened on November 14, 2000. Fun fact: the sculptor, Tim Tolkien, is the great-nephew of J. R. R. Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings and grew up in Birmingham.
Who Helped Fund It?
Some big companies helped pay for the Spitfire sculpture. These included Jaguar, Rubery Owen Holdings, and Cincinnati. Both Cincinnati and Rubery Owen Holdings actually made parts for the real Spitfire planes. These parts were then put together at the Castle Bromwich factory. This factory also built the Avro Lancaster bomber planes. Today, the Jaguar car factory is located where this historic aircraft factory once stood.
The Castle Bromwich Factory's Role
The Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Factory was built in 1940 to help produce planes for the war effort. From 1940 to 1945, about 12,000 Spitfires were made there. That's a huge number! Over 37,000 test flights were also made from the Castle Bromwich Aerodrome. Once a plane was finished, it was carefully moved across the road from the factory to the aerodrome for its test flight. The Sentinel sculpture was officially revealed by Alex Henshaw. He was the Chief Test Pilot for Spitfires, meaning he was one of the main people who tested them.
Today, the land where the aerodrome used to be is now the Castle Vale estate, a residential area.
