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Giving
Large group of students on campus

Stephen Mills

Inspiring public engagement through art

After an adventurous globetrotting career as a field geologist, Stephen Mills (Geology, St Cuthbert’s Society, 1961-64), left a substantial gift in his will to the Department of Earth Sciences.  Stephen was known professionally and academically for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the world’s sedimentary basins, as well as his love of geology in general.

Part of Stephen’s gift is a contribution to a piece of public art: a geosculpture of the British Isles, created using rocks and minerals sourced from their retrospective geographical areas. The sculpture is situated beside the Bill Bryson Library next to the roadside, where students, academics or the general public can view it and interact with it.

A map of the British Isles, made out of rocks

The artwork, entitled ‘What Lies Beneath Us?’, is the creation of the Dorset-based stonemason John de Pauley.  It is the only map of its kind in Britain, and it is hoped that it will appeal to Durham residents as part of the University’s aim to provide artwork that will benefit the local community.

Photo credit: Professor Bob Holdsworth.

University student
The gift has allowed us to build geological displays both inside the department and around the campus to showcase spectacular minerals, fossils and maps. The power of these objects to enthuse and inspire is real and helps us to attract future generations to Durham to learn about how Earth Sciences sits at the centre of currently critical debates around resources, climate change and a sustainable future.
Professor Andrew Aplin
Earth Sciences