Glenkiln Cross, Magreig Hill, Glenkiln

Glenkiln Cross is a bronze sculpture standing 3.35 metres (11 feet) high, designed by Henry Moore in 1955 and erected on Margreig Hill beside Glenkiln Reservoir in Dumfriesshire in 1956. It is one of Moore's Upright Motive series—a group of totem-like vertical pieces that originated from thirteen maquettes Moore developed for an abandoned commission in Milan.

The sculpture consists of a square column-like lower section surmounted by an abstracted mass of broadly human proportion reminiscent of a figurative or Celtic cross. The south face of the column has two step-like rectangular indentations near the base. Above these is a rectangular relief panel featuring a prominent raised crescent motif and incised vertical lines. A bulbous upper section with a thigh or belly-like swelling joins the lower column. Short arm-like protrusions project from either side of the central mass, which is topped by a mushrooming 'head' that tapers to a rounded, elongated point marked by eye-like indentations at the apex.

The sculpture's exposed hillside location has weathered the bronze to a vibrant blue-green colour. It is fixed to a white marble slab with no accompanying inscriptions.

The work was chosen in 1955 by landowner and art collector Sir William (Tony) Keswick as part of a pioneering experiment in placing modern figurative sculpture in a rugged moorland setting. Keswick assembled six bronze sculptures at his Glenkiln farm estate between 1951 and 1962, including Moore's Standing Figure (1951), King and Queen (1953), and Reclining Figure No.1 (on loan 1962–1976), alongside works by Auguste Rodin and Jacob Epstein. The sculpture was given the additional name Glenkiln Cross with Moore's approval, possibly before it became known as Upright Motive No.1.

Design elements from the lower column section first appeared in Moore's sketchbooks of the mid-1930s. Henry Moore later described the installation of Standing Figure at Glenkiln in 1951 as 'the great breakthrough', acknowledging Glenkiln as a favourite location for his work. Photographs of the three major Moore sculptures at Glenkiln were permanently pinned to the wall of his maquette studio, demonstrating the value he placed on these placements. Since 2013, Glenkiln Cross is the only sculpture to remain on the site.