The work of a Quarley artist has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a new housing estate following a three year process to bring the work to life.

Amy Goodman, a sculptor and portrait artist from Quarley, designed and created a set of three life sized horse statues which are set to be installed in Wokingham next year.

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.

Amy said: “I created the rearing Icarus war horse sculpture with a hogged mane and short tail, and branded his hooves with the date 1918 as a subtle reminder of his history. He was inspired by a Cleveland Bay stallion at Cholderton Farm, which was just five minutes from my studio, so I feel very lucky to have had a real life model nearby.”

The sculptures were made in a series of steps, with drawings and scale models being built into life-size armatures using scaffolding bars, welded steel and mesh. These were then covered in clay to produce the artworks, using up to 700kg of clay per sculpture.

Amy said that the work was “intense,” but a “dream commission.”

She said: “I wanted to capture the lively nature of the horses, so I moulded the clay using fast movements and finished the sculptures using iron-rust patina which is exceptionally vibrant and should complement the green of the beautiful surrounding landscape.”

The sculptures will now be installed at the Arborfield Green estate, which is being constructed by Crest Nicholson.

Their sales and marketing director, David Hnyda, said: “We’re looking forward to installing these sculptures next year, where they will form part of a new bridleway being created by Crest Nicholson. Arborfield Green has been developed in line with our Garden Village concept, which aims to create community-minded homes surrounded by green open space. We’re pleased to honour Arborfield Green’s military history throughout the development today, from these new horse sculptures, to the original, refurbished buildings and the acres of ancient woodland.”