Years of hard worked came to fruition on Saturday afternoon as a statue of the remarkable writer, poet, novelist and LBGTQ+ pioneer Sylvia Townsend Warner was revealed to an onlooking crowd on South Street by bestselling author Tracey Chevalier.

Positioned outside the Goulds Fashion Store on South Street, Townsend Warner has been immortalised in a scene where she is sitting with her work and a cat on a bench.

A cat at the base of the statue of Sylvia Townsend Warner after the unveiling in South Street, Dorchester. 14th December 2025. Picture Credit: Graham Hunt Photography (Image: Graham Hunt Photography)

She lived and wrote in Dorset from the 1920s until her death in the 1970s and now joins the pantheon of Dorchester’s literary greats, Thomas Hardy and William Barnes.

The stunning statue was commissioned by charity Visible Women UK who said that that the writer had been ‘long overshadowed’ and ‘completely eradicated’ from history.

Anya Pearson at the unveiling of the Sylvia Townsend Warner statue in South Street, Dorchester. 14th December 2025. Picture Credit: Graham Hunt Photography (Image: Graham Hunt Photography)

The charity, which also brought the celebrated Mary Anning statue to Lyme Regis, chose Townsend Warner as its next tribute after a public poll and was created by sculptor Denise Dutton

At the unveiling, trustee and founder of Visible Women UK, Anya Pearson, said: “I am really emotional actually. I think this one was harder won because she wasn’t as recognised as Mary Anning because she was so forgotten.

“Sylvia Townsend Warner was completely eradicated, primarily because she was a queer woman.

Unveiling of the Sylvia Townsend Warner statue in South Street, Dorchester. 14th December 2025. Picture Credit: Graham Hunt Photography (Image: Graham Hunt Photography)

She added: “Very emotional really and really pleased. It’s such a beautiful event; Denise is incredible. She has done such a beautiful job.”

The whole project was crowdfunded and initially initiated by Mark Chutter of the Dorchester Heritage Committee and Thomas Hardy Society.

He told the Echo: “It has been an amazing ceremony today. We’ve had hundreds of people here, all to celebrate Sylvia Townsend Warner and it’s about the visibility of women within this town but also about our writers in this town, such as Sylvia, and now she is alongside Hardy and Barnes in the town and we have female representation.”

West Dorset MP Edward Morello also attended the ceremony and watched along in the crowd as tributes to Townsend Warner were read out by Bard of Caer Dur Rebecca Danicic, Sylvia Townsend Warner Society chair Maud Ellmann, Thomas Hardy student Alex Swift, and local poet Molly Dunn.

Edward Morello MP sitting next to the statue of Sylvia Townsend Warner after the unveiling in South Street, Dorchester. 14th December 2025. Picture Credit: Graham Hunt Photography (Image: Graham Hunt Photography)

Mr Morello said: “It’s wonderful and tribute to the hard work of so many people and its brilliant we now have another one of our fantastic local authors recognised in a appropriate way – it’s just fantastic for Dorchester and brilliant for Dorset.”

Dorchester mayor Andy Canning was also present along his wife, Mel Lane, the town’s mayoress, who read out a speech during the unveiling ceremony.

Speaking to the Echo, she said: The theme of our mayoral year has been welcoming and inclusive town and felt the statue was voted for by local people shows people really want a queer woman statue in the town and that says something about how diversity is accepted and celebrated and part of our town.

“This didn’t come from just one person’s vision. Mark had the vision that we wanted a statue but it says alot about our community and why Dorchester is such a great place to live.”