Another tall feature of Horsham’s history that is no longer there is the controversial Shelley Fountain, which was removed from Bishopric in June 2016, just before its 20th anniversary. The Rising Universe sculpture, created by Angela Conner as a tribute to the poet Shelley, was replaced by trees after its maintenance was judged too expensive by Horsham District Council and it was sold to G Forge Ltd for the Castle Westenhanger, a wedding venue in Kent.
The Shelley Fountain was unveiled on November 13, 1996, and although a survey revealed the majority of people wanted to keep it, some considered it a ‘monstrosity’, ‘monumentally ugly’ and an insult to the memory of the drowned poet.
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