8 Things That Are About 15 Feet (ft) Long

Fifteen feet is a common phrase used when estimating distances, building lengths, or heights, but getting a true idea for just how tall or long 15 feet is can be tricky.

Picturing a few common or well-known objects, however, can help you get a better feel for what 15 feet actually is. Here is a list of a couple of structures with a length of 15 ft.

1. Scallop at Aldeburgh Beach

Scallop is a 2003 work by British artist Maggi Hambling. It is located on Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a tribute to composer Benjamin Britten.

Hambling commissioned local business J. T. Pegg & Sons LTD to create the sculpture.

It is made from stainless steel and is over 15 feet in height and weighs 3.5 tons, appearing as two halves of a seashell. The sculpture features a quote from Benjamin Britten’s opera, Peter Grimes:  “I hear those voices that will not be drowned”.

The sculpture was unveiled on Saturday 8 November 2003 by former culture secretary Chris Smith

2. Stonehenge Neolithic Monument

A ring of large shafts discovered near Stonehenge form the largest prehistoric monument ever discovered in Britain, archaeologists believe.

Tests carried out on the pits suggest they were excavated by Neolithic people more than 4,500 years ago. 

Experts believe the 20 or more shafts may have served as a boundary to a sacred area connected to the henge.”

The size of the shafts and circuit is without precedent in the UK,” said Prof Vince Gaffney, a lead researcher. Ring of large shafts discovered near Stonehenge form the largest prehistoric monument ever discovered in Britain, archaeologists believe.

The 1.2 mile-wide (2km) circle of large shafts measuring more than 10m in diameter and 15ft in depth is significantly larger than any comparable prehistoric monument in Britain.

3. The King’s Balance in Vijaya Vittala Temple

The King’s Balance, also known as Tulapurushandana is located southwest of Vittala temple. The structure is 15ft in length and is like an archway, carved from stone. 

It is believed that, on ceremonious occasions like lunar and solar eclipses and Dussehra, the King was weighed against gold, jewels, and precious stones, which were then distributed to the temple priests.

4. Myfanwy MacLeod’s 15 feet tall ‘The Birds’ installation in False Creek, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Birds comprises a pair of outdoor sculptures depicting house sparrows by Myfanwy MacLeod, installed after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Southeast False Creek Olympic Plaza, which served as the site of the 2010 Olympic Village in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The work depicts one male and one female house sparrow, each approximately 15ft tall, and was the first piece approved by the city’s Olympic and Paralympic Public Art Program. It was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film of the same name, sustainability, the site’s history as a shipyard, and immigration.

The work depicts one male and one female house sparrow, each between 15 ft, or approximately 50 times life-size. The birds have been described as realistic and “massive yet friendly-looking”

Their bodies are made from hard-coated expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, coated with a polyurea skin and airbrush painted, all clad around a steel armature.

Their cast bronze legs were sealed with wax. According to Heavy, the EPS form pieces were “glued together with pressure-sensitive adhesive, specifically formulated for bonding EPS to itself and other materials”. The birds were later removed on November 23, 2017, for repairs, but later restored to their original location.

5. Southwark Cathedral Praying Hands sculpture

To commemorate the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, a 15ft tall Praying Hands sculpture created by Artist Nic Fiddian-Green has been installed in Southwark Cathedral, London.

6. Bobby the Iron Horse

‘Bobby the Iron Horse’ is the most recent gateway feature installed in Leyland. The monument is to celebrate Leyland’s proud heritage.

Towering at 15ft high, Bobby was installed in October 2017. Unmistakably, it stands at the junction of Longmeanygate and Schleswig Way.

 Indeed, it is the latest in a trio of roadside landmarks along the bypass.

7. 15ft St George

On April 22, 2015, at  Wellington Arch, London.

English Heritage unveiled a 15ft St George at Wellington Arch in honour of the Patron Saint ahead of England’s largest St George’s Day celebration at Wrest Park as well as the launch of a nationwide tour which will see the knight open jousting tournaments at castles across England

8. The Drummer’ by Barry Flanagan

One of the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s more recent acquisitions, ‘The Drummer’ by Barry Flanagan, was unveiled on the grounds at IMMA on Thursday 22 February 2001. 

The work – a 15ft-high bronze sculpture of a lively drumming hare – was donated to the Museum by the artist and is situated outside the main entrance. 

‘The Drummer’ characterises Barry Flanagan’s series of hare sculptures which have formed a large part of his work from the early 1980s to the present day. Flanagan’s hares are spectacular in size and convey an extraordinary spontaneity and naturalness. 

There is nothing repetitive in his use of a single theme; each hare is extremely individualistic and dynamic. Many portray human attributes – dancing, playing instruments, engaging in sports, and even using technical equipment.

In addition to his emblematic hare sculptures, Flanagan’s work also includes ceramic pieces, abstract sculptures, drawings in ink and pencil, watercolours, and collages on paper in a wide range of subject matter including life studies, animals, and abstract shapes.