The statue of The Queen Mother in Poundbury is not only causing conflicting traffic, but people say the statue is an unfit tribute to the late royal. The 9ft 6in (3m) bronze statue was unveiled in October 2016 by The Queen at the Prince of Wales’ model town in Dorset. The sculpture by Philip Jackson is the second casting of a statue which stands in The Mall in London, depicting The Queen Mother at the age of 51.
In an article in Dorset Echo, one local says the statue should model The Queen Mother’s love for flowers and gardening rather than being placed in the middle of a roundabout. However, the roundabout itself has sparked some public disapproval. Built on the outskirts of Dorchester, the Poundbury estate was designed as a ‘new approach’ to town planning.
Created “according to the principles of Prince Charles,” who is known for his strong views on post-war urban expansion, locals say driving in the area is a “free for all” and that many local motorists and driving instructors are unsure whether the memorial is a roundabout – or not. Darren Stocke, a retired driving instructor in the area, said: ‘You could be driving up through there, and somebody could just stop right in front of you because they don’t know what they’re doing – it’s a minefield.
“It is not any type of roundabout. The actual Queen Mother Statue is a free for all – nobody has priority over anybody else.”
In response, a Dorset Council spokesman said: “Queen Mother Square, Poundbury has been designed and constructed in accordance with the Poundbury Masterplan and Planning Permission granted in October 1999. The central statue within the square is signed on all approaches with directional arrows to denote the direction in which vehicles should travel around the feature (a blue circle with white arrow).“
The statue, which is part of Queen Mother Square, is a central hub of classically designed commercial and residential buildings. Most of the buildings in the area are named after The Queen Mother’s favourite racehorses. The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall were all present for the unveiling of the statue.
