Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Drivers stop to photograph 26ft statue of nude man dubbed the Suffolk Colossus

The bronze sculpture, dubbed the Suffolk Colossus, is visible from a nearby busy road and has attracted ‘lots of good feedback’.

Sam Russell
Tuesday 11 January 2022 17:10 GMT
The Yoxman statue by artist Laurence Edwards stands beside the A12 road at Cockfield Hall in Yoxford, Suffolk (Joe Giddens/ PA)
The Yoxman statue by artist Laurence Edwards stands beside the A12 road at Cockfield Hall in Yoxford, Suffolk (Joe Giddens/ PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A 26ft-tall bronze sculpture of a naked man built near a busy road has attracted the attention of drivers.

The eight-tonne artwork, called The Yoxman, was commissioned by a tourism firm and installed in the grounds of the 16th century Cockfield Hall in Yoxford, Suffolk.

The statue, dubbed the Suffolk Colossus, is visible from the A12, which stretches from London to Lowestoft in Suffolk.

Russell Pearce, chairman of Yoxford Parish Council, said: “I think it’s great.

“There’s a lay-by beside it and people do stop and take photographs of it.

“They pull into the lay-by, stop, take photographs and drive on.

“You can see it as you drive past.

“I suppose if somebody had never seen it before perhaps it could be distracting, but I don’t see it as a problem personally.

“I’ve not witnessed any issues.”

Mr Pearce said there had been “a lot of good feedback in the village”, adding: “A few people don’t like it, but then you’re not going to please everybody.”

Sculptor Laurence Edwards, who lives in the village, said when the statue was unveiled in November: “Yoxman is a beacon of local identity and a frame of reference for an evolving relationship with the landscape.

“He’s kind of like a revenant, (a) visitor from the past that’s come back, musing on an unrecognisable environment and contemplating its future.

“The sculpture also marks a transforming moment on the River Yox’s journey through the lowlands of East Suffolk, before it flows – as the Minsmere – out into the North Sea.”

The Yoxman was created at Edwards’s nearby studio and foundry in Halesworth.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in