But how much do you know about Dandy, a large blackened stainless steel sculpture of a dog that is a representation of a witch’s familiar?
It was created by Marjan Wouda, a Dutch-born sculptor who lives in Lancashire.
‘I am fascinated by the Pendle Witches story so that was my inspiration but also, with being brought up on a small farm in the Netherlands, I have always had an interest in how we connect with animals,’ she told Lancashire Life.
Familiars were thought to be supernatural spirits that could take the form of any animal, often they were household pets that were loyal guardians and protectors to witches and were sent to assist them with their witchcraft.
Dandy was said to be the familiar of young James Device, the grandson of one of the accused witches, Elizabeth Southerns, also known as Old Demdike.
Inspired by the accounts of James Device during his trial, where he confessed to having a familiar in the form of a black dog named Dandy, Marjan set out to tell the story of the Pendle witches in an innovative way through a piece of public art.
Marjan’s striking two-metre sculpture is sited near Booth’s supermarket in Clitheroe which lies in the shadow of Pendle Hill where in 1612 the Pendle witches walked as they were taken to Lancaster Castle to be put on trial for witchcraft.
‘The Dandy sculpture invites us to celebrate what makes this town, in this landscape, unique,’ Marjan adds. ‘I began the process of creating Dandy with drawings and then I made the sculpture in paper, which was the most creative and challenging part of the process, before translating it into sheet steel.
‘The brilliant thing with paper is that you can make it bendy, and I think this is really important with steel, as bending it makes it come alive. I then translated the shapes in a digital format which makes the design scalable meaning that the sky becomes the limit. Scale is a really powerful tool in your tool bag, especially for a sculpture in the public realm because it has to stand out and hold its own in a busy environment.
‘Once I had the digitised drawings, I sent them to a metal cutting company and of course we have incredible technology here in Lancashire. I ended up with the flat pieces arriving on the workshop floor and then worked with Castle Fine Art Foundry in Liverpool alongside an expert welder/fabricator. Then it was a case of running the metal through rollers to achieve the desired curvature and welding the parts together using spacers between the layers.
‘Dandy is made of stainless steel, and I wanted him to be black, as that is how he was described in the story, so we sandblasted it which took the shine off the metal and then we patinated it by heating it up and adding chemicals – mostly potassium – which gives it a permanent colouration.’
The sculpture was unveiled on May 16, 2024, and Dandy’s thought-provoking figure, alongside an information plaque, is drawing locals and visitors alike. ‘I like to think it makes people think on a deeper level and that it is worth remembering how people are often scapegoated.’
Marjan first came to England aged 19 looking for independence and life experience, and her love of Lancashire’s folklore grew as she began to connect with the area. She studied art in London and Manchester for five years before her search for a house with a studio led her to Darwen.
‘I immediately felt at home,’ she says. ‘I have since grown to love the moorland which is in walking distance, and the sense of history in this industrial town, and, of course, the stories.
‘Here in Lancashire, we have so many stories of animals – from talking hares, to giant cats and cows. One of my favourites is the Dun Cow of Parlick and I am fascinated by the mythology of hares.’
Majan has incorporated many of these stories into her art. She created large sculptures of ‘Dun Cow’ and ‘Mr Hare’ which sit in the landscape at Wyresdale Park near Scorton and a heron, made from mild steel and inspired by the nearby heronry, stands in the water at Entwistle Reservoir.
