Lowestoft to get Benjamin Britten statue

The English costal town of Lowestoft is set to celebrate composer and Lowestoft native, Benjamin Britten, with a statue of the composer as a boy.

The project, led by a team of locals including broadcaster and children’s author Zeb Soanes, aims to use the statue to inspire the town’s future generations. He said: ‘Rather than the adult Britten at the height of his powers, we choose to celebrate him as the Lowestoft boy who went on to achieve great things. We hope this beautiful statue will inspire future generations of Lowestoft children to gaze out to the horizon and dream big.’

The statue committee includes Soanes, Lowestoft and Kirkley community figures Phil Aves, Kim Boundy, Ruth Wharrier and Matt Grafton as well as BBC antiques expert, writer and radio broadcaster Elizabeth Talbot.

The committee also includes Fergus Fitzgerald, head of production at Adnams brewery which has today launched a special edition whisky from which all profits will go towards the project. Fitzgerald said: ‘For children growing up in Lowestoft, the statue should serve as a reminder that Britten was someone who walked the same streets as they did and braced into the same winds and went on to do something extraordinary.’

Bronze sculptor, Ian Rank Broadley, has been commissioned to create the statue. He said: ‘The genius of Britten appeared in childhood. A statue of him as a boy in Lowestoft can inspire generations of children to follow their dreams. Bronze is for eternity, Britten deserves no less.’

The project has gained the support of important figures in the classical music industry including baritone Sir Thomas Allen and mezzo-Soprano Dame Janet Baker as well as Britten Pears Arts, the charity behind Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival and the Red House. A full list of statue supporters can be found here.

You can find out more about the Britten as a Boy statue project here.