Patrice Lyth designed a series of mosaics to depict the Stations of the Cross, based on some ceramic ones she had seen elsewhere, and a plan was devised to set them into rocks, positioned on the rockery walk down to Our Lady’s Grotto.
Phil Lyth made holes in suitable building stones left from some restoration work at the Church, and a group of Parishioners met to create the mosaics.
The mosaics were made using the indirect method, where a piece of wood the right size is covered in damp brown paper and parcel tape, which shrinks to create a flat surface. The mosaic pieces, in this case glass tesserae, are stuck face down onto the wood using wallpaper paste, leaving a gap around each piece.
When dry, a wooden frame is placed around the mosaic, and sand shaken between the gaps in the mosaic pieces. Then concrete is added to fill the frame and create a paving slab.
After a few days, the frames were removed, the paper soaked off and the sand brushed out, before the mosaics were grouted, and set into the rocks.
A mosaic sign was made for the entrance to the Church.
Along with other community projects, the Mosaic Stations helped Pateley Bridge to win Gold, and it was featured on a BBC2 programme about Britain In Bloom.
