Mysterious stone rings have been popping up across the Lake District’s fells for over three and a half years now.
It’s a phenomenon that has captured the nation and yet despite all the attention, no artist has ever claimed the sculptures as their own.
The elusive nature of the artist behind the stone rings led to local’s dubbing the individual as the Borrowdale Banksy – which only grew the public’s fascination with the sculptures even more.
Since 2021, around eight large elegant stone rings have been discovered and photographed by walkers and climbers across Cumbria.
Most of the artworks have been found in and around Borrowdale, but some have been found further afield in and near areas like Keswick and Kirkby Stephen.
While the stone rings are a viral sensation on social media, opinions of the sculptures are mixed.
Some people love the rings so much they’ve had it tattooed on them while others claim the sculptures are eyesores that ruin the view.
But art was never meant to just look pretty, it was meant to make you feel something, which has certainly been the case for people across Cumbria and beyond.
Despite the noise, the mystery of who is creating these sculptures and why they are doing it still remains.
In light of the most recent sculpture being found, we decided to pull together all the information we have on Borrowdale Banksy and the artworks they have created so far.
Many of the exact locations of the sculptures have been hidden as they are often found in very difficult to reach places that can be dangerous.
Do we have any clues as to who Borrowdale Banksy might be?
The artist behind the unique sculptures has still not come forward to claim their art.
But it is thought that due to the complex nature of the designs and the skill required to create the free-standing circles, that the artist is a professional.
The individual is also thought to be an experienced fell walker or climber due to the hard-to-reach locations many of the circles have been discovered in.
Some believe the artist could even be a dry stone waller with a flair for the creative.
It is also not known if the Borrowdale Banksy is multiple people. Some have claimed that due to the size of the sculptures, at least two people would be needed to assemble them.
Terry Hawkins, a Merseyside-based slate sculptor who was artist-in-residence at Honister Slate Mine, denied that he was the Borrowdale Banksy in 2022.
Some have also claimed the sculptures appear similar to the work of Andy Goldsworthy, an English sculptor, photographer and environmentalist.
We spoke with Andy’s representatives at Galerie Lelong & Co – a New York based art gallery – who confirmed Andy is not behind the sculptures, but declined to comment further.
The first sculpture
The first mysterious sculpture appeared in May 2021.
It was photographed by keen climber and photographer Carl Halliday, whilst he was out climbing.
Situated overlooking the Borrowdale Valley, above Warnscale Bothy, Carl kept the exact location of the sculpture under wraps, as the site was only accessible to experienced climbers.
He said it had felt like a privilege to see and photograph it.
A year later in May 2022, the sculpture was reported to have collapsed and was photographed by Nicola Crisp and her partner Freddie Forsyth, who had been determined to track it down despite its location being a closely guarded secret.
It is not known how or why the sculpture was knocked down or if the sculpture was fixed.
The second and third sculptures
Both the second and third sculptures were found around the same time the first appeared in May 2021.
One was found on Castle Crag and the other was found a three-hour walk east on Raven Crag.
After the first sculpture was knocked down, people started being more cautious about sharing details of the stone rings in order to protect them from any possible vandals.
The fourth sculpture
The fourth sculpture was found in August 2022 – but its location was kept secret again, after the collapse of the first sculpture prompted concerns vandals were targeting them.
It was found and photographed by landscape photographer Daniel Farrington, who stumbled across it while out wild camping with his wife on the fells of Borrowdale.
But 27 days later at the end of August 2022, two female walkers reported that the sculpture had been dismantled.
The slate used to create the sculpture had been neatly piled up nearby.
The fifth sculpture
The fifth artwork was found in September 2022 on Barf, above Thornthwaite, framing Bassenthwaite and the countryside below.
This sculpture was found outside Borrowdale, around a 24 minute drive away from the valley.
Steve Wingrove, of Trethowel, near St Austell in Cornwall, was out with his son, Chris, of Kendal, bagging Wainwrights when they came across the distinctive slate circle.
Steve said: “I was amazed at the construction of it. I spent my working life in the building industry and was amazed as to how the person who did this managed to get to the place, build the structure with out being seen. It is beyond me.
“The sculpture is off the track, but near a precipice. I would not encourage people who are not experienced walkers to seek this out as the approach and descent is very steep and there is a lot of loose scree.”
The sixth sculpture
The sixth artwork was found in April 2023 on Little Asby Common, near Kirkby Stephen.
Due to its location and use of larger stone, rather than slate, some claimed it was just a copy of the original artworks.
John Lees, a walker from Lytham St Annes who was visiting the area, shared some photos of the unusual creation on Facebook.
He said: “I cannot take credit for finding it. A friend found it while walking on the common and put a photo to friends on Facebook.
“My wife and I have a caravan on Chapel Farm Caravan Park, so we are here regularly. It was interesting to see how much of a talking point it has become so quickly, quite controversial.”
He added that Sunbiggin Tarn could be viewed through the centre of the artwork.
The seventh sculpture
The seventh sculpture was found in June 2023 overlooking Borrowdale Valley.
David Jackson, who owns Castlerigg Hall, a caravan and camping site in Keswick, spotted the creation on social media and decided to find it for himself.
Slightly different to its predecessors – the seventh artwork is a semicircle, rather than full circle.
The exact location of this sculpture has also been kept a secret.
The eighth sculpture
The most recent Borrowdale Banksy sculpture was found earlier this month, below Bannerdale Crags between Blencathra and Bowscale Fell.
It was found by Tom Twentyman, who spotted it while out walking last month with his border terriers Louis and Lola.
Semicircle sculptures
A number of semicircle sculptures have also been spotted on Cumbria’s fells by walkers.
Several images of the small arch-like structures have sprung up across social media over the past few years – but it is not clear if these sculptures are the work of the Borrowdale Banksy or if they are re-creations made by fans of elusive artist.
