Proposal to install a statue of Virginia Woolf on the terraces at Richmond upon Thames Riverside

Arts and education charity Aurora Metro has launched a heritage project to create a life-sized, full figure statue of the famous writer Virginia Woolf.

The charity has so far raised £36,500 of the £50,000 cost of designing and manufacturing the statue through crowdfunding. They have proposed the artwork should be situated on the upper terraces near to the entrance to Heron Square at Richmond upon Thames Riverside for which planning permission has been granted. Feedback to an earlier consultation in 2017 showed the majority of respondents were in favour of the statue being built and 70% of the funding has been raised to date.  

Before the statue is considered for installation Richmond Council would like your views on the proposal.

Please read the information below and use the online survey to tell us whether you would support the installation of the statue if the remaining funding is raised.

Background to the project

Virginia Woolf lived in central Richmond with her husband Leonard for 10 years and founded the Hogarth Press during that time. Celebrating her life and achievements as a woman writer, feminist and LGBTQ icon, this statue is planned as a lasting and interactive memorial and the charity feel that the statue will help cement Richmond as an integral part of the British literary map.

The image above is a mock-up of the proposed statue of Virginia Woolf seated on a bench. It would be created by award-winning sculptor Laury Dizengremel, who is known for creating a statue of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown which can be seen on Distillery Wharf in Hammersmith. You can see an image of the Capability Brown statue here. She has also created a series of statues for Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Association to honour tennis stars.

To find out more about the project please go to the charity's webpage here.  

Have your say

Please give us your views on the proposal using the online survey below. If you would like a paper copy or another format, please contact us at consultation@richmond.gov.uk