The Golden Goose Railings were commissioned by the Girton Town Charity, created by local artist Matthew Lane Sanderson and installed in 2018. The railings celebrate four things.
Girton geese and quills: The village has a long relationship with geese as they were an important source of feathers for quills used by scholars and scribes at Cambridge University. A brook known as the ‘wash pit’ was home to flocks of geese, which supplied the writing instruments.
Legend of the Golden Goose: The ‘Golden Ratio’, a mathematical term, defines human proportions, musical rhythm, plant growth and the brightness and dimming of the stars. The goose is one of the few birds to lay eggs with the ‘Golden Ratio’ of 1.0 length to 0.618 width.
The Barnacle Goose: The name barnacle came from the myth that they were hatched from barnacles, which meant that as crustaceans they could be eaten during Lent when all other flesh is forbidden.
The Tree of Life: A tree is a common image to illustrate the cycle of life in religious culture and historical legend. The sculpture shows a tree on an island surrounded by water, as in the isles of Ely and Sutton.