The statue of the artist Augustus John near the bridge in Fordingbridge will be the subject of a talk by Dr Jonathan Black of Kingston University on Tuesday 31st March 2015 at 7.30 pm in the Victoria Rooms, Fordingbridge.

The statue is by the celebrated Welsh-born sculptor Ivor Roberts-Jones RA (1913-1996) who also sculpted the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square as well as that of Field Marshall Viscount Slim in Parliament Street in London. Dr Black has recently published a book on the sculptor which has a picture of the Augustus John statue on the back cover.

Fordingbridge Museum is sponsoring the talk and Museum Manager Philippa Duckworth said,” The story of the statue is a fascinating one and there was a passionate debate about the proposed location of it in the town. Whatever ones opinion of Augustus John is most people who remember him would agree that the sculptor has captured the essence of this larger than life artist”

Tickets cost £9 in advance from the Fordingbridge Bookshop or £10 on the door. The price includes a glass of wine.