Persuasion needed for local families over £10,000 Jane Austen statue plan to celebrate writer’s 250th birthday

• Hampshire County Council is currently looking to make cuts of GBP90 million

By Katherine Lawton[1]

Published: 11:10, 4 December 2023 | Updated: 11:21, 4 December 2023

A cash-strapped council has come under fire after its leader proposed spending GBP10,000 to help erect a statue of Jane Austen.

Hampshire County Council is seeking to make cuts of GBP90 million that could include the loss of school crossing patrols, a reduction of services and grants, and freezing spending on road maintenance.

But Conservative leader[2] Rob Humby wants to help fund Winchester Cathedral's plan to build a new memorial to celebrate author Austen in time for her 250th birthday.

The proposal has been met with criticism from locals commenting online, with one resident describing it as a 'kick in the teeth'.

One person said: 'It's debatable whether funds should be spent at all whilst the Council is strapped for cash.'

Another added: 'And they have no money because?'

Winchester Cathedral wants to build a new memorial to celebrate Jane Austen in time for her 250th birthday

Conservative leader of Hampshire County Council Rob Humby wants to help fund Winchester Cathedral's plan to build a new memorial to celebrate author Austen

'This is the council that is cutting all services to minimum levels right?,' said another. 'So analogy would be someone only eating beans on toast, just about paying their bills and then wanting to buy a pair of Air Jordans so they can show them off!

'They have to decide on giving money, Simple answer NO, the councils say they're broke, cutting services etc. Kick in the teeth to the suffering if they do.'

An editorial in the Hampshire Chronicle declared: 'The Cathedral needs to pay its own way and there is no doubt that a statue of Jane Austen would attract tourists to bring in vital revenue to pay for the building's upkeep.

'The ball is now in the public's court. We will see what people think.'

The novelist, who wrote Persuasion, is one of the city's most famous former residents.

She died in 1817 in Winchester, after writing titles such as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and is buried in the cathedral.

The plan for the statue comes almost five years after a similar proposal - for which the council pledged to provide GBP25,000 - had to be dropped due to public opposition that the design was too 'Mills & Boon' and 'too kitsch for such a refined setting'.

Now Winchester Cathedral has returned with a new plan for a GBP100,000 memorial featuring a life-sized statue of the novelist along the path of her funeral cortege.

The novelist, who wrote Persuasion, is one of the city's most famous former residents

It is hoped the statue will be erected in 2025 in the Inner Close to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth in 1775.

Despite the 2019 backlash, the cathedral hopes the new design - by the same sculptor Martin Jennings - will win approval.

Vice-Dean Canon Roland Riem said: 'Winchester Cathedral Chapter is delighted to be reviving this project, in a greatly revised form, as a lasting contribution to the 250th anniversary celebrations of Jane Austen's birth.

'As Martin Jennings has recently been trusted with the King's portrait, so I hope he will be trusted to deliver a stunning memorial sculpture of Austen for Winchester and Hampshire.

'What a joy it will be for its visitors from 2025 to meet there a woman confident of her place at the table of Britain's greatest novelists.'

Mr Jennings also created the statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras railway station, unveiled in 2007, and the statue of Philip Larkin at Hull Paragon Interchange station in 2010.

He also designed the first official coin and postage stamp portraits of King Charles III.

He said: 'I will do everything I can to help this project succeed.

Success for me means making a work of art which honours Jane Austen and pays tribute to her links with this city and its cathedral.

The 5'7' statue will represent Austen rising from her table at her home in the Hampshire village of Chawton as someone arrives at the door

'The cathedral's historical collection of sculpture mostly recognises the achievements of men, so I am very glad to have the opportunity to add a representation of this justly celebrated woman.'

The 5'7' statue will represent Austen rising from her table at her home in the Hampshire village of Chawton as someone arrives at the door.

The sculptor hopes to suggest she is moving in front of her work as if to disguise it, as she kept her writing private.

Mr Jennings said: 'From reading her novels, I wanted to give a sense of the moral vision running through them all.

Perhaps this is most expressed in the sculpture in her posture and gaze.

'By erecting a bronze statue of her in a location of such distinction, we hope to communicate her moral vision and literary genius not only to today's visitors but to future generations as well.'

The project has already attracted commendations from artists, academics and literacy experts, such as Prof Paula Bryne, author of The Real Jane Austen, Prof Emma Clery, author of Jane Austen: The Banker's Sister, Dr Gillian Dow, former executive director of Chawton House library, and more.

The county council's leadership anticipates its GBP10,000 investment could attract visitors of one of 'Hampshire's cultural icons', and that the project will 'strengthen the Jane Austen trail across the county, building on the impact of the bicentenary of Jane Austen's death.'

The total project costs are GBP100,000, made up of GBP60,000 for the design and model and a further GBP40,000 for casting and installation.

A total of GBP73,000 has already been raised from private donations.

MailOnline has contacted Hampshire County Council and Rob Humby for comment.

Conservative Leadership[3]

References

1. ^ Katherine Lawton (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Conservative leader (www.dailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ Conservative Leadership (www.dailymail.co.uk)