2022 Commonwealth Games Legacy Garden: The Carved Wooden Poles

Sourcing the Timber Responsibly

Carved wooden poles representing the different aspects of the 2022 games were created from trees cut down around Birmingham by Heart of England tree surgeons and a local Plant Nursery called Oakdene Nurseries. The trees were to be felled as part of compulsory maintenance work; so, Roots to Fruit Company director Jonathan Ensell decided that re purposing them for use within the Peace Garden would be a much better use rather than them being chopped up for firewood.

Carving the Poles

Wood Sculptor Jonathan Ensell set to work carving the trunks into the desired aspects of the games and with the help of volunteers brought the features alive through and painting the different icons.

The Spirit of the Commonwealth Nations –

The icons represent the number of nations in the commonwealth in 2022, the spirit of mankind (mentioned in one of the HM the Queen’s Christmas speeches), the date of the Commonwealth Day and the year the commonwealth became official.

Here is a video revealing more about the Commonwealth Nations Pole:

The Spirit of the Commonwealth Games 2022 –

The commonwealth games logos are carved into this pole as well as the year of the Birmingham games (2022) and the different kinds of sport including track, games and water events.

Here is a video showing us more about the Commonwealth Games 2022 Pole:

The Spirit of Birmingham –

Look for carved icons of Birmingham buildings including the Townhall, Rotunda and Birmingham University Clock Tower. Industry is also depicted in the Birmingham Jewlery Hallmark (An Anchor) as well as whistles, pen nibs and canals.