Doug’s Memorial Gateway, Greatham, UK

A tribute of transition for the late Doug Curry, welcoming visitors into the field he once looked after

Doug Curry, an active member of the L’Abri Fellowship, had a vision for the wooded area and began to curate the space and develop yurt structures to be built. Sadly, Dug died in July 2018, but his legacy, now known as Doug’s Den, lives on in the this wooded copse. This gateway marks an entrance into this much loved Church field and woodland, paying homage to the local vernacular as well as to the man himself.

The gothic-style pointed arch can be found across numerous religious sites in the area, a symbolic form pointing heavenward. Thus this design was considered appropriate for the site and the respected man it stands in rememberance of.

The design celebrates local materiality through the distinctive oak cross arch, mounted upon iron stone and brick walls. The Gateway anchored in limecrete foundations, having low embodied energy and sequestering carbon once hardened.

The gateway is nestled within a soft boundary of native mixed hedge and tree line, and welcomes people to come to the gate from the St John the Baptist (CoE) Church. One can find refuge under it’s archway on it oak seats, and pass through freely.