A beloved sculpture of two lovers, paying tribute to the couple behind Pontypool’s Italian Gardens, is set to be relocated into storage temporarily. The move is necessary due to upcoming construction works to revamp the public toilets at Hanbury Road, located above the gardens, with plans to create a new restaurant and cafe. This development, funded by £7.6m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up programme, also involves restoring the dilapidated St James’ Church opposite the toilets. The aim is to draw in some of the almost 300,000 yearly visitors to Pontypool Park into the town centre.
To adhere to a planning condition for the toilet block renovation, Torfaen Borough Council, overseeing the project, must provide details to its planning department on how to preserve and restore the wooden sculpture on the wall at the back of the toilet block in the park. The council has confirmed that the sculpture will be securely moved to a storage unit within Pontypool Park and maintained until the construction is finished. Following the completion of the development, the sculpture will be reinstated to its original location.
The wooden sculpture, crafted by Newport-based artist Chris Wood, is part of a series of wooden sculptures in Pontypool Park. The Two Lovers sculpture commemorates Capel Hanbury Leigh, who owned Pontypool Park, and his second wife Emma Elizabeth. Inspired by their honeymoon at the Isola Bella Gardens in Lake Maggiore in 1847, the couple designed the Italian Gardens in the expansive grounds of Pontypool House between 1849 and 1850, bringing back plants from Italy. According to Torfaen Borough Council, the gardens were designated as Italian Gardens on the 1918 Ordnance Survey map, though not named on the 1881 map, where a similarly described area is indicated but not labelled.
The plan to relocate the sculpture for safekeeping during the renovation project has been approved by the planning department. This move ensures the preservation of the artwork while the essential development works take place. Upon completion, the sculpture will return to its original spot, allowing visitors to continue appreciating the rich history and significance it holds in Pontypool Park.