Much of Gary Breeze’s work over the years has been concerned with language and dialects. The words we use are a reflection of our view of the world, and as this view becomes more global and less parochial, so our local dialects and words which intimately describe the details of our environment are gradually eroded.

His first piece of commissioned work on Jersey was in the beautiful coastal village of Greve de Lecq; an inscription called Paternosters for the hotel there which celebrated the Jerriaise dialect with the names of the treacherous rocks in the bay, woven between the lines of The Lord’s prayer. When asked to consider making something for the entrance to Greenacres, a new housing development close to the centre of the island, it gave him the opportunity to explore the dialect further, examining the rich farming heritage evident in the language. Just as the local fishermen knew every rock by name, so the farmers were deeply familiar with every field and hedgerow, and they identified their uses and limitations by giving them appropriately descriptive names.

Given total freedom to enhance any aspect of the entrance-way he liked Gary chose to work with the stone copings, carving field names in both Jerriaise and English in a decorative band along the entire length. He also designed the gates so that the entire entrance would be harmonious. The gate, although apparently an abstract pattern, are truly site specific, their design based on a plan of the fields around Greenacres. The result is contemporary, but one directly related to the place, with buildings and road names include. The gates were made in Jersey to Gary’s desings by Stephen Rylance Ltd.