D.H. Lawrence fans restore family headstone

The writer was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire

Fans of author D.H. Lawrence have raised funds to restore his family headstone.

The D.H. Lawrence Society worked with the local council on the project in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.

While the society paid £800 towards the cost, Broxtowe Borough Council funded the remaining £200.

The society said it was proud to have contributed towards the upkeep. An official unveiling is due to take place on Saturday.

The ceremony will involve members of the society and representatives from the council.

Experts said the grave was an important landmark in the town

The author of Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley's Lover spent his childhood in Eastwood.

Dr Andrew Harrison, director of the D.H. Lawrence Research Centre said the grave, in Eastwood Cemetery, was an important landmark in the town.

"[It commemorates] not only the author's life but that of his brother William Ernest, who tragically died of erysipelas in 1901 at the age of 23, and the lives of his mother and father, who died in 1910 and 1924 respectively," he said.

"The D. H. Lawrence Society is proud to have contributed to the upkeep of it."

The restoration cost £1,000

Alan Wilson, chairman of the D.H. Lawrence Society, added: "We are thrilled to have this monument restored so beautifully, serving as a visual symbol of the legacy of D.H. Lawrence, his family, and a close connection with the Eastwood heritage."

Carolyn Melbourne, museum and collections officer at the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum, which is owned and managed by the council, said: "We're really pleased that we have been able to assist in the restoration of the Lawrence family grave.

"Many of the people who visit us at the museum go on to explore the wider Eastwood area to see the places that Lawrence wrote about in his works, and this includes visiting the grave.

"Having it restored is a tribute to the legacy that Lawrence continues to leave in the town, county and across the world."