The Angel of the South has turned out to be... a great big white horse. The noble beast by Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger has been selected out of a shortlist of three by the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project as the public art that will stand over the Kent countryside, fully visible to Eurostar passengers as they zoom through Ebbsfleet into St Pancras.
It seems a slightly odd choice for such a big and unmissable art commission - until it becomes clear that the symbol of Kent is indeed a great big white horse, and the serene figure standing calmly in its field makes more sense. The sculpture will be as high as Nelson's Column - about 50 metres tall - and is 33 times the size of a real horse. No plans have been made for 33 times real-size piles of manure, scaled-up sugar lumps or monster-size tabs of comedy Ketamine ... but there may well be a medley of equine merchandise for Ebbsfleet station when the thing is unveiled.
There's still planning permission to win though so the shining white steed won't be in place for a while yet. Still, we're looking forward to it enormously, as the bucolic vision at Ebbsfleet may help to undo the more eye-harming vision of the lovers in St Pancras.
