Rombald’s Rocks: Keighley Sculpture Trail is a project created and implemented by artist, Leonie Briggs, and ourselves, Keighley Creative. It is the brainchild of Leonie who thought Keighley deserved it’s own sculpture trail and she wanted to create a community art project that involved local people and would bring something positive to town.
Leonie Briggs is a multidisciplinary artist with an MA in Illustration. Her practice centres around character design that draws inspiration from folklore, the natural world, and themes of mental health. Working across digital, traditional, and sculptural media, she creates expressive, narrative-driven characters that invite emotional connection and curiosity.
Her work bridges the gap between storytelling and visual art, through a pleasing mix of nostalgia and imagination. Whether sketching, painting, or sculpting, she brings a strong sense of personality and purpose to each piece.
As well as being a studio holder here at Keighley Creative, she is the lead artist and originator of a Rombald’s Rocks — a project born from her vision and brought to life through collaboration. This trail reflects her commitment to accessible, engaging public art that sparks dialogue and creativity in shared spaces. Whilst also shining a light on local businesses and showcasing the amazing talent and skills that can be found in Keighley.
To find out more about Leonie, click here.
How did Rombald’s Rocks come to be?
In 2024, Leonie came to Keighley Creative with a big idea—why not create a sculpture trail for the town? Something fun and free for everyone to enjoy on their doorstep. She teamed up with us, and together we secured funding from the Bradford 2025 Creative Communities Fund and support from Keighley BID to make it happen.
Leonie’s love for local folklore meant we wanted the sculpture trail to link to the local area. During the ideas generation process we discovered that Keighley’s main sculpture is the sculpture of Rombald the Giant in Airedale Shopping Centre. That’s how Rombald’s Rocks: Keighley Sculpture Trail came to life—celebrating the creativity, community spirit, folklore and local talent that make Keighley such a special place.
A true team effort, this project shows what’s possible when artists, organisations, and the community come together to make something for everyone to enjoy.
From Sketch to Sculpture
How the Rocks Were Made
Bringing Rombald’s Rocks to life has been a long but exciting journey, full of hands-on making, experimenting, and a lot of creative problem-solving. The process came together in three main stages:
1. Design – Shaping the Idea
It all started with a simple but playful idea—rocks with arms and legs! But getting those limbs in just the right place wasn’t as easy as it sounds. It took lots of sketching, testing, and rearranging to make sure each rock looked balanced, friendly, and full of character. Even deciding where to put their faces took plenty of thought!
2. Making the Rocks – The Messy Fun Bit
Next came the making—by far the longest and messiest part of the process! Each rock was carved by hand from large blocks of insulation foam. No two rocks were the same, and it often felt like they had a mind of their own as their shapes started to appear.
Once the carving was done, they were built up with layers of materials like mod-roc, fibreglass, and filler—followed by hours (and hours!) of sanding to get them smooth and ready for painting. Definitely not a one-person job!
3. Bringing Them to Life – Adding the Magic
Finally, the finished sculptures were handed over to artists and community groups to work their creative magic. Each rock came back with its own colours, designs, and story – turning them into a fun, friendly group of characters.
This trail is the result of many hands, many ideas, and a whole lot of love for the town and its people.
To find out more about Rombald’s Rocks: Keighley Sculpture Trail, visit “The Making of Rombald’s Rocks” exhibition running until 28th June 2025 at Keighley Creative.
