A Quarley artist has seen her work unveiled as part of the redevelopment of a former army depot.

Amy Goodman, a sculptor and portrait artist from Quarley, designed and created a set of three life sized horse statues which were unveiled at the Arborfield Green estate in Wokingham on Friday, June 11.

Amy Goodman said: “After all these months of hard work I am incredibly proud to finally see my finished artwork on site. I wanted it to be as historically accurate as possible and was able to base one of my sculptures on a Cleveland Bay stallion at Cholderton Farm, which was just five minutes from my studio.

“I created the rearing light draught Icarus war horse sculpture, with a hogged mane and short tail. The branding on his quarters and hooves inscribed with the date 1918 serve as a reminder of his history.

“I had a very intense five and a half months doing the clay work on my own, however this was a dream commission for me, and I relish working at this scale!

“I wanted to capture life in the horses, so I modelled the clay intuitively using fast movements and texture, and we finished the sculptures using iron-rust patina which is exceptionally vibrant and should complement the green of the beautiful surrounding landscape.”

The horse sculptures, named Youngster, Sports Horse Mare and Icarus, pay tribute to the site’s past as the home of the Remount Depot and Horse Infirmary, where the British Army purchased and trained horses for military use between 1887 and 1942. It subsequently became a technical school for the military, before it was sold for conversion into housing.

At the unveiling, the mayor of Wokingham Borough was present, as well as members of The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the Arborfield Old Boys Association, the latter of which represents those who had passed through the technical schools.

The mayor, Cllr Keith Baker, said: “Until the amazing hit play War Horse and the subsequent movie ,very few people fully understood the essential part horses had in the countries World War One efforts, so it is not surprising that a huge increase in interest in these stables has occurred in recent years.

“Over a million horses were requisitioned or purchased for the war effort and only 10 per cent returned. Many of those horse who actually made it back were treated at this very place. The stables here are protected for the nation and I would like to thank Crest Nicholson for their investment, ensuring they are maintained, guaranteeing their preservation for the nation.

“These three magnificent statues of horses, commissioned in early 2018 some 100 years after the end of World War One, are a testament to the commitment by this developer to highlight this unique local facility in our history.”

The statues were commissioned by Crest Nicholson, who are constructing the estate, with their sales director saying the new housing was designed to reflect the site’s past.

David Hnyda said: “Arborfield Green has been developed in line with Crest Nicholson’s Garden Village concept, which aims to create community-minded homes surrounded by green open space. This public art is located next to a new bridleway being created and for years to come will act as a reminder to the community of the rich military history of the site.”