Dalkeith Sheep Trail

The Trail Begins

In the spring of 2021 Aldi invited Dalkeith Arts to assist them in creating a modern and memorable art installation at their new store in the heart of Woodburn, Dalkeith.

The first thing we did was to call out to our community of artists for ideas. We wanted to make it something appropriate to the area, so we began with some research.

The Aldi store now sits on the site that used to house the Laidlaw and Fairgrieve woollen mill and that’s why we chose sheep as our motif for the project.  Each sheep sculpture was created with its own personality and outfit. Their purpose is to engage and delight all who see them. 

Taking Shape

We started out by sketching ideas to bring our sheep characters to life.

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We wanted to create something original that reflected well on Dalkeith, Midlothian and Aldi.  This meant trying out things that we had never done before. We have lots of different kinds of skills and knowledge in the team but no-one had attempted anything quite like this before and so it was a new creative adventure for us all.

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Meet the Stars of Dalkeith Sheep Trail

  • Ewen Me

    Ewen Me is Dalkeith Arts’ Scottish ewe. A nod to the Aldi Scottish Commitment to serve its customers homegrown quality products.

    ARTIST: MARGARET BITITCI

  • Baaacking Team UK

    Aldi are proud sponsors for Team UK 2020 Olympics and this was the inspiration for Ewe K. The bright colours on this sheep reflect the team colours and the Olympic Rings.

    ARTIST: BERNA WOOD

  • Inspire Ewe

    Inspire is going to live in the grounds of the Letts factory. They chose the design and name in honour of their latest stationary creation.

    ARTIST: MARY BLAIR

  • Nitten

    This Ewe is wearing a Fairisle jumper. ”Why?”, you might be asking yourself. This pattern and colour was one of the best sellers of its day when the Laidlaw and Fairgrieve woollen factory stood on this very site. She is named for another mining community in Midlothian called Newtongrange, fondly referred to as Nitten.

    ARTIST: MARGARET BITITCI

  • Frida Baahlo

    Frida is simply a celebration of the famous artist and also the fantastic Guerilla Gardeners who use their expertise to bring a touch of colour into Dalkeith’s town centre and beyond.

  • Innocent Ewe

    Innocent Ewe is the Dalkeith Rugby Club Ewe, named for the Innocent Railway Line that ran over the current club grounds.