'Dirty great big' Moot Hall signs anger Aldeburgh residents

Both the design and proximity of the signs to the hall have been mocked

Two large metal signs placed feet from a seaside town's 16th Century museum have been called "hideous and abhorrent" by disgruntled residents.

The "dirty, great big rusty signs" point to the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

While a few agreed they were "quite artistic" dozens took to social media to question the point of such large signs so close to the entrance.

The town's mayor said the council welcomed "constructive comments".

The museum is currently undergoing a Heritage Lottery-funded refurbishment and the new signs are part of that project.

However, they have not gone down well in the seaside town.

Not everyone hates the design of the new signs - but dozens of Aldeburgh residents appear to

The large, engraved, rusted metal signs were described by one person as an "abhorrent waste of time, money, space, sense, reality and reason".

"One is seven yards and the other is three yards... from the Aldeburgh Moot Hall they are directing people to! REALLY?," he wrote on the town's Facebook page.

The word "hideous" was repeatedly used by some, while others said it was "utterly pointless" to have such large signs placed so close to the museum entrance.

"Quite surprised that after 500 years they have to point out where the Moot Hall is," one opponent wrote.

The signs have the backing of the town's civic society

Not all the comments were derogatory - one person said they were "elegant" while another was quite taken with the small patch of new turf placed under each sign.

Peter Hill from the Aldeburgh Society backed the new signs, saying they were "a very nice design, they are simple... therefore they don't try to compete with the wonderful Moot Hall".

Tony Bone, chairman of the museum trustees, said: "The signs are modern to reflect the Heritage Lottery Fund's requirement to introduce 21st Century design within the setting of an historic building.

"They are still work in progress and we are in talks with the designer to consider alterations,"

However, one resident admitted the signs were bound to anger people as "if Aldeburgh had a motto, it would be 'Aldeburgh abhors change' - as nobody in Aldeburgh likes anything changing".