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Back in March 2023, Caerphilly Observer reported on the damage to the Twisted Chimney. 

The sculpture, which is located in Butetown near Rhymney, saw some of its structure come away after it was damaged by bad weather.

This incident showed residents that the chimney, which to the naked eye appeared to be made out of red bricks, was not.

It is carved in polycarbonate, coated in a waterproof covering and then hand-painted.

Such materials are “specialist” and “would still need to be looked after”, according to an artist who works in sculpture at Cardiff Metropolitan University. 

The sculpture cost £180,000 and was installed by Caerphilly County Borough Council in 2010 with Heads of the Valleys regeneration funding from the Welsh Government.

In May, Caerphilly Observer revealed that the structure had not been inspected since October 2020 prior to its damage, after submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Caerphilly County Borough Council.

In fact, it received just eight inspections as part of a wider public artwork inspection regime, which was undertaken across the borough by the council’s building control team. 

Additionally, no funds had been spent on the artwork since its installation – other than this year’s costs to make the structure safe after damage.

A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council told Caerphilly Observer: “The artwork is inspected regularly. The gap in inspections since 2020 is down to several factors including work pressure on the building control team and the continuing impact of the Covid pandemic.”

£64.50 spent on the sculpture since damage

In a separate FOI request, Caerphilly County Borough Council confirmed the cost of making the sculpture safe after the weather damage was £64.50.

A council spokesperson said: “This cost was incurred by having to visit the site with a cherry picker to remove the section that was still attached to the structure and for its disposal.”

At this time, they added no repair timeline was in place and said: “In terms of the repair, we are currently working with the original design and fabrication team to determine the best method of repair. At present, we don’t have a costing or a programmed timeline for this work.” 

Now, eight months after we originally reported on the damage, Caerphilly Observer can reveal that there is still no plan for the sculpture’s repair. 

We asked Caerphilly County Borough Council for an update on how long the repairs will take and what the cost would be.

A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “Temporary steps have been taken to make the structure safe, while we explore longer-term options for the sculpture.

“A key part of this process will be engaging the local community and seeking their views on these options.”

This article was updated on January 3 2024 to correct the date of the installation of the Twisted Chimney. This was 2010, not as originally stated in 2011.