Lynne Morgan Design

PORTFOLIO

(Please click on the images for a larger image)

‘The Sabbath Walks’

Produced for The Severn Gorge Countryside Trust, these four panels tell the historic story of ‘The Sabbath Walks’, or ‘Workmen’s Walks’ through Dale Coppice and Lincoln Hill in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire. The walks were created in 1782 by the Quaker ironmaster, Richard Reynolds, who levelled and widened existing tracks throughout the woods and planted larch and evergreens and a variety of shrubs such as rose, lilac, laburnum and honeysuckle for their scent and colour. These walks were not private walks, but open to everyone, the working families as well as visitors who came to Coalbrookdale in the late C18, and took advantage of their elevated position to see the extraordinary industrial developments happening in Coalbrookdale and the Ironbridge Gorge at the time.

They became known as ‘The Sabbath Walks’ because Reynolds wanted to encourage the workers to spend Sundays walking with their families instead of in the alehouse! Unusual at a time when all other landscaped walks were created exclusively for the enjoyment of wealthy landowners, The Sabbath Walks were some of the earliest public walks created.

The Doric Temple

Along the route, Reynolds built structures so that visitors could enjoy the views. The Doric Temple, built in 1784, was a brick building supported by 4 pillars with a seat inside. From here it was possible to see the upper forge pool and its cascades, a huge reservoir used for powering the new iron industry in Coalbrookdale.

The Rotunda

The walks continued onto the promontory of Lincoln Hill, where Reynolds built the Rotunda, a cast-iron pillared structure like a bandstand with an ingenious revolving seat, offering panoramic views of the surrounding area, including that of the newly constructed Iron Bridge, the ruined Buildwas Abbey and to the north, the industrial scene of Coalbrookdale.

The Cottage and Garden in the Woods

Reynolds also built a Cottage and Garden in Dale Coppice, along the route of The Sabbath Walks for his daughter, Hannah Mary, where she could spend time walking in the woods, relaxing and entertaining her friends and family.

Palfrey Park Nature Conservation Area

Created for Walsall MBC, this panel illustrates the creation of a Nature Conservation Area within Palfrey Park, Walsall. Built as part of the Big Dig Project, with the help of local residents, park users and children, an underused area of the Park was turned into a dedicated wildlife area and outdoor classroom.

Bowers Yard Limekiln

This illustration was produced for the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust to show a C19 limekiln, crushing plant and loading facilities on the railway sidings at Bowers Yard, Ironbridge, as it would have appeared in the 1920’s. The limekiln was originally built during the mid1800’s and operated until the1870’s, after which it fell into disrepair. A date of ‘1928’ is inscribed above the kiln arch, indicating a possible date at which it was repaired, and from which the kiln was in production again. At this time a railway siding was built to transport limestone from the Benthall Edge quarries.

Rectory Wood

The illustration for this panel was produced for Shropshire Council to show how the historic garden in Rectory Wood, Church Stretton, would have looked in the C18. Landscaped by Professor John Mainwaring, with advice from his friend the famous landscape designer ‘Capability’ Brown, the illustration shows typical ‘Brownian’ features such as the Icehouse, the yew-ringed pool with its dam and cascade, the Gothic Folly and the Summerhouse. The illustration uses archive records and archaeological excavation as its source material to ensure historical accuracy.

Hereford Cathedral Close

Created for Hereford Cathedral, this aerial illustration depicts the new improvements which have been made to restore the Cathedral Close as an important public space and setting for the Cathedral. Funded by Heritage Lottery money, elements of the project include; the apple tree mosaic outside the Cathedral’s west front, a bronze roundel trail along the pathways of the close, stone threshold markers where the visitor enters the Cathedral, improved pathways, new paving and seating, specially designed railings, new planting and formal gardens, restoration of the Cathedral Barn and an upgrade of the Masons’ yard.

‘After Offa’ Living Life Along the Border, Local Oral History Map

This map illustration and design was produced for the Bronygarth Social Committee to share, pass on and celebrate the heritage, stories and oral history of the English and Welsh border community around Offa’s Dyke. The map illustration was hand painted to show relevant roads, tracks, rivers and the surrounding landscape relief. The collage artwork and oral history stories were produced by local schools and community groups in workshop sessions. All the information was collected together and the map layout designed and printed to create a folded map for use by local people and visitors.