What is a Panopticon....

Pennine Lancashire's Panopticons are a unique series of twenty-first century landmarks, designed to attract visitors into the countryside to enjoy the stunning landscapes and wealth of attractions that this delightful area has to offer. Each Panopticon is situated on a high-point site commanding spectacular views.

The Panopticons project was led by Mid Pennine Arts and funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and the Lancashire Economic Partnership (LEP) as part of the the East Lancashire Regional Park Development Programme, supported by LEP. A complementary education and creative arts programme, Land, offered schoolchildren and local people the opportunity to be directly involved in the development of the Panopticons through artist workshops, residencies and celebratory events.

The Four Panopticons of Lancashire

From Colourfields, in Blackburn's Corporation Park, the visitor can enjoy a widespread panorama of the Park below, with the town beyond and distant views out towards Lytham, Southport and Fleetwood. This intriguing design was a collaboration between Jo Rippon Architecture and artist Sophie Smallhorn. Using the former cannon battery in Blackburn's Corporation Park as its base, the design dramatically transformed the site, creating a new sense of space, height and colour with its raised viewing point and candy stripes.

From Singing Ringing Tree, on Crown Point above Burnley, look north for a superb view of Pendle Hill or east for a glimpse of the Cliviger wind turbines on the Yorkshire border. In between there is a panoramic overview of the town of Burnley, with the famous Turf Moor football stadium at its centre. On a clear day you can see the Bowland Fells, Pendle, Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Great Whernside.

A unique musical sculpture designed by architects Tonkin Liu, Singing Ringing Tree is positioned on Crown Point, a high moorland area south of Burnley on the Burnley and Rossendale border, with magnificent views all around. Constructed from pipes of galvanised steel stacked in layers, this Panopticon takes the form of a tree bending to the winds and harnesses the energy of those winds to produce a low, tuneful song. In June 2007, Singing Ringing Tree was named winner of a National Award for architectural excellence by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

From Atom, nestling on the hillside above Wycoller village, there are breathtaking views of the Pendle landscape all around, including the historic settlement of Wycoller, now a conservation area.

Designed by Peter Meacock with Katarina Novomestska and Architecture Central Workshop. Constructed in ferro-cement with a surface coating of metal-based paint, Atom is both viewing point and shelter, and also an intriguing and beautiful object in the landscape.

From inside, its circular viewing spaces frame unrivalled views of the surrounding countryside and an initially hidden, polished steel ball reflects back those views to the visitor. Atom provides a focal point in the Park and encourages people to discover and enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery in Lancashire.

From Halo, the centrepiece of the former landfill site on Top o' Slate, newly landscaped and returned to public use, visitors can enjoy wonderful views of the Rossendale valley, Greater Manchester and parts of Pennine Lancashire, which were formerly inaccessible. Pennine Lancashire is within easy reach of the M65 motorway from Blackburn east as far as the Yorkshire border.

Halo, by designer John Kennedy of LandLab, is an 18m-diameter steel lattice structure supported on a tripod five metres above the ground. From its position on Top o' Slate in the Rossendale Valley it is clearly visible for miles around. Halo is lit using the latest LED technology and by night glows a sky-blue colour, giving the effect of hovering above the town of Haslingden. Halo overlooks the A56, welcoming visitors to Pennine Lancashire.

Halo is the centrepiece of a newly landscaped area, formerly a landfill site, which has been reclaimed and returned to public use through a partnership led by the REMADE in Lancashire programme, Groundwork Pennine Lancashire and Rossendale Borough Council.

The Regional Park is a unique way of joining together the countryside, towns, villages, businesses and recreational facilities across Pennine Lancashire. The Park is improving where people work, by making the best use of the superb quality of the natural environment.

The Park is also an exciting way of linking culture, heritage and the arts with the natural environment, helping to forge a positive new identity for Pennine Lancashire. Over 300 hectares of woodlands have been planted and over 15kms of new footpaths, cycleways and bridleways have been developed. This network of recreational and commuter cycle ways, bridleways and footpaths link together urban and rural areas for the first time, making it possible to mix business and pleasure.