Writer to be town's first non-royal female statue

Sylvia Townsend Warner lived in Dorset with her partner, poet Valentine Ackland

A writer and poet who was a trailblazer for lesbian visibility and acceptance is to be honoured with a statue.

Sylvia Townsend Warner lived in Dorset with her partner, poet Valentine Ackland, at a time when same-sex relationships defied societal expectations.

The sculpture, planned for Dorchester's main shopping street, will be the first of a non-royal woman in the county town.

It is the result of a campaign led by charity Visible Women UK, which is calling for more representation of women in public art.

The statue will be installed in Dorchester's main shopping street

Townsend Warner, who lived from 1893 to 1978, was a prolific writer whose works included Lolly Willowes, The Corner That Held Them and Kingdoms of Elfin.

She was on a shortlist of notable Dorset women drawn up by the charity which was then put to a public vote.

Charity trustee Anya Pearson, whose previous campaign led to a statue of fossil hunter Mary Anning being installed in Lyme Regis, previously said Dorchester's monuments consisted of "six men, one dog, a queen and a horse".

Announcing Townsend Warner as the winner, she said: "Sylvia lived her life as her true self, something many still find impossible due to prejudice and ignorance.

"She is a modern-day role model, allowing young people to see themselves in what she achieved all those years ago."

Girl with a Pearl Earring author Tracy Chevalier is the charity's patron

Preliminary designs by Anning sculptor Denise Dutton show Townsend Warner seated on a bench with one of her cats.

The feline is based on Susie, a popular cat seen in shops in the town centre.

The finished statue will be installed outside Gould's department store.

Author Tracy Chevalier, who is a patron of Visible Women UK, said: "When people think of Dorset writers, they tend to think of men - Thomas Hardy and the poet William Barnes - that’s why I'm so delighted that there is going to be a statue of Townsend Warner, who spent most of her life in Dorset."