England's smallest town wins row with council over plans for 'totally inappropriate' sculptures outside church

The proposed artworks, designed to stand outside St Leonard's Church and the town hall, drew significant criticism from local residents who deemed them unsuitable for the historic settings.

Both pieces formed part of the council's wider Art Spine project, which aims to connect different areas of the growing community through public artwork.

Steve Bolingbroke, the parish council's lead on the initiative, explained the decision: "The church location did get some negative comments so we decided to drop it."

Residents voiced strong objections to the proposed sculptures, particularly the installation near the Grade II listed church.

Desmond Kearney described the "disembodied" head as "totally inappropriate for a place where worship and prayer".

Kay-Marie Taylor-Duke expressed similar sentiments, stating she was "baffled by the choice of a floating head" and that she "marvels every day at the quintessential English view" of St Leonard's Church.

Another local, Heather Morrison, questioned the value of the artwork entirely: "I cannot see any benefit in removing it to make way for a piece of dead wood with a metal head."

The sculptures were designed by artist Joseph Hillier, with the church piece titled "Furro".

South Oxfordshire District Council's heritage officer Emily Tucker also raised concerns about both proposed locations in her assessment.

Regarding the church site, Ms Tucker felt the planned grasscrete passing bay and bollards represented "an overly formal and engineered intervention into this informal triangle of grass".

Her reservations about the town hall location centred on visual impact, noting the sculpture would "become a focal point in its own right on the approach up Couching Street".

Ms Tucker added: "I am not convinced that it preserves the significance of the town hall, or its primacy within the street when you are experiencing it as a pedestrian."

Despite the withdrawal of the two controversial pieces, the broader Art Spine project continues to progress.

South Oxfordshire District Council has granted approval for several other sculptures, including "The Boy Who Never Left the Trees" at Asgard Green, "Furrow" at the Redrow Development Site, and "To Build a Home" at Hill Road car park.

The council anticipates all approved artworks will be in place by June 2026.

Each sculpture will stand approximately two metres tall, constructed from durable metals with varying finishes.

A recent 3D scanning initiative involved 50 local residents, some of whom will feature as bronze castings within the finished pieces.