Bath to commemorate Jane Austen with life-size statue

1 April 2019, 16:22 | Updated: 1 April 2019, 16:29

Jane Austen will be be honoured with a life-size bronze statue in Bath later this year.

The author lived in Bath in the early 1800s and the city features in several of her books like Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.

Paul Crossey, Managing Director of The Jane Austen Centre based in Bath says 'it is fitting that Jane Austen should be honoured in this way within the city that played such a major role in her life'. He added that 'not only will it be good to honour Austen the author, it will also be good to go a little way to redress the fact that less than 3% of all statues in the UK are of historical, non-royal women.'

Although the exact location hasn't been decided yet, several places in the North of the city that have significance to Austen's life are being considered. Her parents were married in the city at St Swithin's Church and Jane lived in Bath between 1801 and 1806.

The statue will be created by artist Mark Richards whose previously made sculptures of Winston Churchill and The Queen. The sculpture will be based on a waxwork of Jane Austen that was created five years ago. This wax piece is said to be the most life-like depiction ever of the author.