The Crawick Multiverse. what’s it all about?
a major land restoration project has transformed a former open cast coal mine into a spectacular artland
Let’s start with some history…
What’s it all about? Crawick was home to an open cast coal mine in decades past. It did not produce enough black gold to continue digging, and so operations ceased, leaving the site abandoned.
In 2005, The Duke of Buccleuch invited the world-renowned landscape artist Charles Jencks to the site and reviewed its potential not only for restoration, but a total transformation.
Instead of seeing an industrial wasteland, he saw the bones of a marvellous ecology.
The terrain offered a ready-made meadow, a desert, a gorge and a brook. The dropping of excess slag had even created a ridge which offered panoramic views of the beautiful surrounding valleys. This, coupled with the breathtaking wider landscape, helped Jencks’ vision take shape.
So, what happened next?
In 2015 Crawick Multiverse was ready to open to the public for the first time. The site links the themes of space, astronomy and cosmology with a network of paths navigating features and landforms that represent the sun, universes, galaxies, black holes, comets and much more.
Crawick Multiverse was created primarily using materials found on-site, including thousands of boulders which were half-buried below the surface of the ground.
These materials have been used to create a striking landscape of distinctive landforms, and each one represents astronomical and cosmological features and theories. Pathways around the site connect its four ecologies of grassland, mountains, a water gorge and a desert, taking you on a journey past galaxies, universes, comets and much more.
So, what do the landforms mean?
Each landform is designed and built to reflect a different aspect of space and the Universe The best way to learn about this is on our Landforms page.
If you’re asking ‘What’s it all about?’, this page lists all of our amazing landforms and gives you loads of information about each one.
the multiverse is whatever you need it to be
If space and the cosmos isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Aside from the landforms being artistic and meaningful, they are also stunning and curious to look at and explore. The great thing about the Crawick Multiverse is that it’s open for you to explore in your own way.
With very few restrictions on the 55 acre site, visitors are free to wander around, walk around, up, down and through the stones. The local landscape is stunning and the landforms look incredible from various different viewpoints on the site. Take your time, wander around, sit and observe.
Why not bring a picnic and find yourself a quiet spot for a rest? Sit and read your favourite book. Get your headphones on and walk around with your favourite podcast playing. Bring the dog, bring the kids, enjoy the outdoor space. Just want a quiet walk? No problem! With so much space on site, you’re sure to find your own path.
Come and visit our friendly staff at The Coalface afterwards and recharge with a hot drink and a snack from our kiosk.
