Hundreds want Earth Goddess statue removed 'with immediate effect'

Hundreds of people are calling for the Earth Goddess sculpture in St Austell town centre to be removed.

417 people have signed an online petition to remove the artwork "with immediate effect", with one person referring to it as "an offence to God".

The controversial installation was revealed to the public in June. It is made from five large circles of St Austell's China clay topped with outstretched arms and decorated in flashes of bright colour.

The statue, which is the largest ceramic sculpture in the UK, was created by artist Sandy Brown and is reported to have cost £80,000.

After it was first revealed in the town’s Aylmer Square many people mocked its appearance with some likening it to a child’s artwork and others saying it looked like a sword or a kebab.

Steve Double, the Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay, previously admitted he himself is not a fan. In a social media post, he said 90% of the comments he had seen and heard had been negative.

The online petition was started by calling for the statue’s removal was started by Scott Moran who said that it has also been shared with Cornwall Council – although the council was not involved with the project which is also reported to not have been paid for with any public money.

The creation is intended as a celebration of St Austell’s connection to China clay but the high price tag has frustrated people in the town who say the money could have been better spent elsewhere.

Among the signatories is Lawrence Williams who states: “I’ve signed this because I believe this “art” (which is actually a religious idol called ‘earth goddess’ and in the shape similar to a symbol called an ankh which has spiritual connotations) has been commissioned on behalf of St Austell Town but does not take into consideration the religious beliefs and the sensitivities of the different faiths held in the community.

“A commissioned artwork shouldn’t have any religious connotations which are now being imposed upon the town of St Austell. This is an offence not only to members of the public but also to God. Just imagine the amount of good that could have come from that £80,000 could have fed and homed homeless people.”

And Pam Abraham said: “I do not believe this ‘statue’ represents the town or its heritage. The china clay industry could have been better represented and I for one do not want to be confronted by what is supposed to be an ‘earth goddess’ every time I walk through Aylmer Square. I hope this petition is successful and the statue is taken down swiftly.”

Keith Palmer added: “Our town is named after a saint of the Christian faith, not a so-called earth goddess. What a waste of money anyway at these times of personal financial difficulty for so many. In a way, I am glad it doesn’t claim to represent the Saint as it would be a total misrepresentation of all the monks stood for.”

And David Snow said it would be better to have something to pay tribute to D-Day veteran Harry Billinge who lived in the town and died in April: “St Austell doesn’t need a badly bodged-up pagan idol watching over the town’s inhabitants. The town would be better off with a statue honouring a great man of God like Harry Billinge. A humble man who gave so much to St Austell town and his country.”

Credit: Richard Whitehouse, Local Democracy Reporter