David Harding’s The Henge

Scotland’s five new towns were built on a wave of post-war optimism and all have public artworks in housing estates, shopping centres and public pathways.

Glenrothes in Fife is the new town for art. You’ll find more than 140 art works there, ranging from figurative to abstract and from funny to thoughtful.

Why, you may well ask? Well, in 1968, Glenrothes Development Corporation took the bold step of appointing David Harding as the first ever town artist. For the next decade, David worked with architects and planners in the town, moving his young family to a council house and letting his imagination run riot in concrete.

Earlier this year, I was involved behind the scenes in a forthcoming documentary for BBC Scotland called Meet

You At The Hippos, presented by Guilt star Mark Bonnar.

In the film, Bonnar, whose artist dad Stan was Harding’s assistant, and who went on to become East Kilbride’s town artist, goes in search of Scotland’s new town art.

For me, Harding’s concrete circle, The Henge, on Beaufort Drive, Pitteuchar, was the biggest surprise.

Now listed by Historic Environment Scotland, The Henge is made up of 13 large concrete slabs etched with stories. It was a privilege to stand inside this circle and listen to Harding, now in his 80s, describe how he made it.

I call The Henge a “Harding Head-tip”. You’ll find references to all David’s 20th century heroes and heroines, including Pele, Che Guevara, Gandhi, The Beatles, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa. Psychedelic? Maybe. Far-out? Yes!