Mytholmroyd: Ted Hughes-inspired sculpture opposed by poet's widow

The sculpture, proposed by a village community group, is inspired by Hughes' poem Churn Milk Joan

The widow of late poet laureate Ted Hughes has opposed plans for a sculpture to celebrate his work in the village where he was born.

A community group in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, has proposed the artwork to highlight Hughes' links to the village.

The sculpture was meant to promote the poet's work and was not intended to be a memorial to Hughes, the group said.

But his widow, Carol Hughes, said it seemed "totally at odds with everything that was important to Ted".

A development model of the artwork, which aims to highlight the poet's links to Mytholmroyd

Hughes was born at 1 Aspinall Street in Mytholmroyd in 1930 and lived in the Calder Valley village until the family moved to Mexborough in South Yorkshire when he was eight years old.

Geoff Wood, chair of Royd Regeneration, whose aim is to raise the profile of Mytholmroyd, said there was already a plaque on Hughes' former home, but it was "not particularly straightforward to find".

As a result, volunteers had applied for permission to install the sculpture of two foxes and a milk churn nearby, at the junction of New Road and Burnley Road in Mytholmroyd.

Mr Wood said the design of the sculpture was inspired by Hughes' poem Churn Milk Joan, which was itself inspired by a tall stone of the same name which is a local landmark.

Carol Hughes, who was married to the poet from 1970 until his death in 1998, said she was "disappointed" the organisers of the project did not consult her as a representative of his estate.

Carol Hughes, pictured in 1984 with Ted Hughes, says she is "disappointed" not to have been consulted over the sculpture

In a letter of objection to the planning application for the artwork, Mrs Hughes said: "This project, the design of the sculpture, even the idea itself, all seem to me totally at odds with everything that was important to Ted, and to the person he was.

"I also feel strongly that I cannot offer support to any scheme which seems likely to involve such considerable expense in what are such difficult and financially challenging times for so many people."

Mrs Hughes said she had spoken to the Elmet Trust, a Mytholmroyd-based charity which promotes Hughes' work, about a memorial to her husband.

She said she had told the trust the most fitting memorial would be "some well-defined environmental work to improve the canal, and possibly some seats for the public along the canal bank. Definitely no statue of any kind, in my opinion, and certainly not an expensive statue of a milk churn and two foxes".

The sculpture would be installed at the junction of New Road and Burnley Road near the newly complete flood defences

Mr Wood said he was "very sad" to see Mrs Hughes' objection, but added that he had been liaising with the Elmet Trust on the project and the sculpture was "not a memorial".

"There are a lot of poems inspired by specific locations in Mytholmroyd and we wanted to give people an opportunity to try to find those locations and follow in his footsteps," he said.

"It's about a reference and helping people to find Ted Hughes, not about memorialising him as that's happened elsewhere."

Calderdale Council will make a final decision on whether to grant planning permission for the project.