He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

W. B. Yeats

The poem on the sleepers in the Belper Parks Nature Reserve is an extract from ‘Cloths of Heaven’, by the Irish poet W B Yeats, laid out in copper-headed nails on railway sleepers. The sleepers form steps in the Belper Parks Nature Reserve. This well-loved poem seemed appropriate for this setting.

The Belper Parks was declared a Local Nature reserve in 2003, having been an open undeveloped parks area since the Norman conquest. The site is owned by Amber Valley Borough Council, and managed in partnership with Groundwork Erewash, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, and the Friends of Belper Parks.

A local artist, Carole Beavis, created this installation. Use of nails reflects Belper’s pre-Mills history, when nail-making was an important local industry.

Carole Beavis’ work can be seen at: https://www.carolebeavis.co.uk/

January 2026 note: time – and the weather – have taken their toll on these steps and the poetry is sadly now looking rather muddy and bedraggled. Amber Valley Borough Council is looking at options for these steps – and if they are to be replaced we will be considering how to display the poetry going forward.