PLANS to put up a statue of Jane Austen along the path of her funeral cortege in Winchester have been granted council funding.
The statue is part of plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the author's birth, and would see the life-sized statue put up outside number nine, in the Inner Close, next to Winchester Cathedral.
Austen died in Winchester and is buried in the cathedral where a floor marker signals her plot in the north aisle.
Earlier this year, the cathedral resurrected revised plans to erect the statue to mark the anniversary.
Original plans by the same sculptor, Martin Jennings, were scrapped in 2019, after they received backlash over the design.
Feedback has been considered and a new, more elegant design is now being proposed.
It will cost £100,000, made up of £60,000 for the design and model and a further £40,000 for casting and installation.
A total of £82,000 has been raised, with £10,000 coming from both Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council and the rest from private donations.
Winchester Cathedral said it was delighted and grateful that Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council have both confirmed their support of the memorial.
Leader of Winchester City Council Cllr Martin Tod said: “A sense of place and sense of history are related reasons why people choose to live in and visit Winchester.
"These difficult economic times make it even more urgent to develop authentic ways to express who we are. We are pleased, therefore, to support the making of Jane Austen’s memorial in time for 2025, which will become a landmark for residents and visitors alike.”
READ MORE: Winchester Cathedral's Jane Austen statue to mark 250th anniversary
A meeting was held at Winchester City Council on Monday, December 4, where it was agreed that a capital grant of £10,000 would be awarded to the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in support of the statue.
Neil Cutler, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: "This proposal seems eminently sensible. We work with our partners within the city to improve the cultural offering and this is a significant opportunity for the city."
The meeting heard that if the bronze statue cannot be secured, the clay model will be displayed instead.
It was agreed that the Chapter would work with the council to promote the statue to ensure 'as many people as possible' would get to see the statue as possible during the 250-year anniversary and after.
It is hoped the statue will boost tourism in the city and the county, as the 2017 commemorations of the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death brought £21m to Hampshire’s economy.
With sufficient Austen assets to encourage stays in Winchester, the council hopes the city will become a natural point of departure for trips to Steventon, Basingstoke, Chawton, and further afield to Bath.
Dean Catherine Ogle, from the Cathedral, said: “Winchester Cathedral has the enormous privilege of being the final resting place of Jane Austen, and her life and her legacy live on.
"We are working with regional and local partners to ensure that Jane’s 250th anniversary celebrations are truly memorable, leaving a legacy for generations to come.
"I look forward to seeing this most loved of English novelists, daughter of a clergy household, standing in the surrounds of the Close and providing another focal point within Hampshire for visitors.”
To see the plans and comment, go to winchester-cathedral.org.uk/hampshire-celebrates-250-years-of-jane-austen/
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