Postcards From Somerset | Weston Sand Sculptures

A second post here for you on my love for Somerset. After a delicious Afternoon Tea at Tiffany’s Edwardian Tea room, my nan and I took a stroll down Weston-super-Mare’s seafront and we stumbled upon the Weston Sand Sculpture Festival; an exhibition packed with incredible sand sculptures in celebration of their 10th successful year there…






Incredible, right? Considering these sculptures are made from just sand and water. The sand used has a very very small sharp edge (unseen by the human eye though so don’t go thinking you’ll cut your feet walking on Weston) so that when it’s mixed with water, it “clicks” together to form a compacted dense mass. The compacting is done by building pyramids of sand by using wooden frames, which are then removed before sculpting. So there’s absolutely no framework inside these sculptures… it’s insane!

The sculptures last several months outside, whatever the weather may be, so if they were built indoors, it’s said that there’s no reason why they wouldn’t last forever!

If you can spot things easily, you’ll notice that there’s little wires poking out of some of the sculptures. I thought it was part of a framework, but they’re actually there to prevent birds sitting on top of them and destroying the top of the sculptures.

The festival has been held at Weston-super-Mare for 9 years and this year marks it’s 10th anniversary. Each year there’s a theme, in the past they have used Hollywood, Fairy Tales and Under The Ocean. This year, as its 10th anniversary, the theme is The Best Of 10 Years. For this year’s festival 15 professional sculptors carved 4000 tonnes of sand over 9 days to create the exhibition. Dedicating 8 hours a day to their sculptures! They are designed purely for Weston Sand Sculpture Festival so they cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

The pictures don’t really do the sculpture much justice; when you see them in person you can see how intricate each detail is the sheer size of some of them too – it’s incredible to think how talented people are.

The exhibition is open until the 11th October so I’d 100% recommend a visit to it if you live near by! (I’ve just found out it’s been open since April 3rd this year and considering it’s an outdoor event, that’s flipping mental because they’ve been standing through ALL this weather!) 

Have you been before? What’s your favourite sculpture?

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44 Comments

  1. Linda - I Am Linderella
    October 2, 2015 / 7:05 pm

    The sculptures look amazing. I've always wanted to go in there when I've visited but I've never been sure whether it was worth it or not.

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 2, 2015 / 8:34 pm

      It's 100% worth it! The tickets are only Β£3.50 and it's an afternoon well spent πŸ™‚ you won't be disappointed! xxx

  2. Ela BellaWorld
    October 2, 2015 / 7:43 pm

    These photos are so beautiful and everything looks amazing! I've never been to sand sculpture festival πŸ™ xx

    http://www.elabellaworld.com

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 2, 2015 / 8:34 pm

      thank you! it really is amazing there. it was my first time too but i'd definitely love to go again next year πŸ™‚ xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 2, 2015 / 8:35 pm

      incredible, aren't they?! I took a tonne more photos so it was really hard to whittle it down xxx

  3. October 2, 2015 / 9:29 pm

    Gorgeous pictures, the sculptures look amazing. Just look how cute Sid looks! And the people that made them are so talented. I mean, I can`t even draw a straight line and they made these little works of art.

    http://www.beautynerd.co.uk

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 2, 2015 / 10:02 pm

      thank you so much! haha I know exactly what you mean, i wish i could be that talented xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:16 pm

      aren't they just?! πŸ™‚ they so intricately designed and flawless. fingers crossed for next year! xxx

  4. Alina Bostan
    October 3, 2015 / 8:01 pm

    Wow these sculptures are incredible, can't believe they are made from sand. Love the way you've captured every detail x

    Beauty with charm

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:16 pm

      so good, aren't they?! it was so hard to whittle it down to just a handful xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:17 pm

      they're amazing! I can't wait to see what next year has in store πŸ™‚ xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:26 pm

      so lovely aren't they πŸ™‚ xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:39 pm

      they must have a lot of patience, too! xxx

  5. Monique | WritingMonique
    October 4, 2015 / 3:32 pm

    This is so cool! Gorgeous photos!
    WritingMonique

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 4, 2015 / 3:41 pm

      thank you πŸ™‚ xxx

  6. Emily Thorpe
    October 4, 2015 / 5:11 pm

    Wow, how incredible! You got some fantastic photos. They must have serious skill to do all that, I can't imagine what would happen if someone fell into one! I think I'd cry aha

    Musings & More

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:45 pm

      I would 100% cry my heart out if I'd made something this amazing and it fell! Haha xxx

  7. October 4, 2015 / 5:09 pm

    Amazing photos! I recently saw these and they are magnificent, I would love to be able to create something even half this good!

    katielou99.blogspot.co.uk

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:44 pm

      they're amazing in person, aren't they?! πŸ™‚ i'd love to be this artistic xxx

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:47 pm

      thanks! πŸ™‚ xxx

  8. Rachael Broomfield
    October 4, 2015 / 7:45 pm

    Firstly, you look absolutely gorgeous! Secondly, I am just amazed. I cannot comprehend how much time it must have taken to make those sculptures.

    Rachael at broomfie.blogspot.com

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:54 pm

      Aww Rachael! You're such a babe. Thank you so much!! I know it's crazy right?! xxx

  9. Charlotte Dickson
    October 4, 2015 / 9:56 pm

    Sand sculptures never fail to amaze me! These really are incredible and its so cool that they hold this competition every year. This definitely sounds like a fun afternoon out, I really need to visit Somerset sometime soon πŸ™‚ x
    Charlotte's Road // Beauty, Fashion + Lifestyle

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:59 pm

      i've never seen any before, in the flesh anyway, so i was super surprised at how detailed and intricate they were! definitely visit there as soon as you can! xxx

  10. October 4, 2015 / 9:36 pm

    i really want to visit this, the people that make these are so bloody talented and i imagine they have the patience of saints!! hope you enjoyed it! xx

    jordaneyasmin.blogspot.co.uk

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 3:58 pm

      aren't they just! it was a lovely day there thank you πŸ™‚ xxx

  11. Kathryn O'Connor
    October 5, 2015 / 12:33 am

    Ah these are so amazing and always so fascinating! The amount of time and effort that must go into making these sculptures must be hugely underestimated. You look lovely too! xx

    Kathryn | Chapters of Kat ❀

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 4:01 pm

      definitely! the scale of them as well is crazy. i find it amazing that they haven't toppled over! aww thank you so much lovely! xxx

  12. May Cho
    October 5, 2015 / 3:21 pm

    These are made from sand and water only?! My goodness! They are incredible! I wish I was there in real life to see the details!

    May | THE MAYDEN | Bloglovin'

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 4:01 pm

      yep indeedy! Crazy isn't it! xxx

  13. October 5, 2015 / 3:44 pm

    April? wow been standing for so long! Looks like a great place to visit. Love your jumper πŸ™‚

    Pam xo/ Pam Scalfiβ™₯

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 5, 2015 / 4:02 pm

      it's crazy isn't it! Considering how crappy the weather has been this year. thanks lovely! It's a Primark one, super comfy xxx

  14. October 6, 2015 / 10:23 am

    Wow these are so cool! I have been to a sand sculpture festival in Queensland, Australia before and it was pretty sweet to see all the sculptures and how good they are and how I can hardly make a regular sandcastle.
    Tegan xx – Permanent Procrastination

    • Hannah Cornish
      October 12, 2015 / 4:57 pm

      Haha I suck at making sandcastles too, the side always crumbles when I take the bucket away xxx

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