Al fresco art: the UK's best sculpture parks

Soak up the scenery with a stroll through these open-air galleries

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than $3 per week View Profile The Explainer Talking Points The Week Recommends Newsletters From the Magazine The Week Junior Food & Drink Personal Finance All Categories Newsletter sign up Culture & Life the week recommends Al fresco art: the UK's best sculpture parks Soak up the scenery with a stroll through these open-air galleries Newsletter sign up Barbara Hepworth's 'picturesque' garden overlooking the sea in St Ives (Image credit: Peter Barritt / Alamy) Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK 14 August 2025 If you love a country stroll and you're partial to an exhibition, why not combine the two at a sculpture park? The UK is home to an incredible array of open-air galleries, populated with breathtaking works that have been carefully positioned to work in harmony with the nature that surrounds them. Here are some of our favourite spots. Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives Shortly after her death in 1975, Barbara Hepworth's studio in St Ives was turned into a public gallery. Outside in her "picturesque garden overlooking the sea" (pictured above) lie some of her most striking works, said Time Out, each placed in exactly the spot she felt they belonged. Among the treasures on display is the monumental bronze "Two Forms (Divided Circle)" and the totem-like multi-part sculpture "Conversation with Magic Stones". Inside, her living room and workshop remain virtually "untouched" shining a fascinating light on the working life of the influential English sculptor. Subscribe to The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield This "vast Georgian parkland estate" is dotted with many "creations" by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, said The Times. Other works to search out include Andy Goldsworthy's "Peter's Fold" – a permanent sculpture built using ancient dry-stone techniques around a common lime tree. There's also an "ebb and flow of temporary exhibits" to explore. If you want to make a weekend of it, consider booking a room at the nearby "pooch-friendly" Bagden Hall. Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, Gloucestershire Nestled within historic woodland in Gloucestershire lies one of the country's oldest sculpture parks. Carefully laid out among the trees over a four-and-a-half mile circular route are 17 sculptures, "many of which interact with the forest setting or are constructed from its raw materials", said Time Out. Perhaps most impressive is "Cathedral": "a 15-foot-tall stained-glass window depicting a woodland scene, hanging among the trees as if part of the landscape". End your walk at the "lovely picnic area" by the Forestry Visitor Centre. forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The Sculpture Park, Surrey "You might be expecting little" when you arrive at this unassuming park in Surrey, said Country Life. But you'll leave "bowled over" after an afternoon spent "wandering through what feels like miles of winding woodland paths, peppered with bronze gorillas and mirror-shiny steel bridges spanning lakes and streams". Home to over 800 sculptures, all available to buy, there is plenty to see. thesculpturepark.com Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh Situated just outside Edinburgh, this award-winning sculpture garden is a must visit if you're staying in the Scottish capital. Look out for pieces by "luminaries" like Anish Kapoor, Marc Quinn and Phyllida Barlow, said The Times. Every artwork has been "designed for its precise spot", some "swathed in woodland", others overlooking the lakes. Open from April to October, the park hosts an annual arts festival, Jupiter Rising, each August with poetry readings and live music among the sculptures. jupiterartland.org Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Social Links Navigation Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column. 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