IT is a landmark sculpture that celebrates Andover’s military past.

The ‘Flight and Navigation’ monument has been eagerly awaited by residents across the town for months after work began back in March.

Now the impressive artwork has been officially unveiled – and some of Andover’s most famous faces were there to catch the first glimpse of it.

War veterans, councillors and the Mayor of Test Valley came together on Monday as artist Chris Brammall’s work was revealed at Andover Business Park.

The impressive 42ft piece, which was funded by business park developers Goodman’s, sits on the previous site of RAF Andover and is designed to connect the site’s military past to its prosperous future.

The sculpture, which is constructed from galvanised steel and features aircraft previously flown from the town, is accompanied by an information panel giving a mixture of memories, facts and anecdotes relating to the history of the site.

And no one was more delighted with the finished article than the leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Ian Carr, who was formerly based at RAF Andover as an aircrew officer in 21 squadron flying Devons – the final squadron to fly from the site.

He said: “It’s a landmark piece of artwork which is as eye-catching as it was designed to be.

“The site has always been known as the ‘airfield’, so it’s nice to recognise the history of the place.

“For me it’s got that emotional attachment as well. If I hadn’t been posted at RAF Andover I would never be where I am today.”

Mayor of Test Valley, Cllr Jan Lovell, added: “It’s long overdue that we have an iconic piece that identifies the gateway to the town and we have truly got that here.

“I think it’s a real statement that Andover is successful, it is going forward and we are achieving things here.”

Artist Mr Brammall, who beat off competition from almost 70 other designers to have his work produced, said: “The opportunity to engage with the public and the various stakeholders has been highly rewarding. We feel that this has enabled us to produce a piece that accurately portrays the aspirations of everyone involved, while at the same t i m e, creby James Robinson email james.robinson@andoveradvertiser.co.uk ates a statement that enables the story of RAF Andover and its local community to continue on into the future.”

After the unveiling guests were invited to the Chalkhill Blue pub which had been decorated with paper planes made by the town’s children, including pupils from Andover Primary and Portway Junior Schools.