A bronze pig could soon take pride of place in a historic town centre as part of celebrations marking a major milestone in the area’s history.
Plans have been submitted to New Forest District Council for a sculpture commemorating the 800th anniversary of Ringwood’s Royal Market Charter.
The proposal by Ringwood Town Council would see a small bronze sculpture of a lying pig installed in Ringwood Market Place, close to the church wall.
The town council said the artwork would celebrate the town’s long association with market trading while adding a new feature to the historic centre.
According to planning documents, the sculpture would measure about 1.22 metres long, 0.46 metres wide and 0.61 metres high.
The artwork would be placed on an existing area of stone setts, and no wider changes to the surrounding public space are proposed as part of the application.
Planning papers state the pig has been chosen to reflect Ringwood’s heritage and its historic links to trading and market activity.
The sculpture would also serve as a “permanent reminder of the 800th anniversary” of the Royal Market Charter.
The application argues the development has been carefully designed to “sit comfortably” within the historic surroundings of the Market Place and Ringwood Conservation Area.
The town council said: “It is considered that the sculpture will have a positive impact upon the significance of the Ringwood Conservation Area by introducing a high-quality piece of public art that celebrates identity and contributes to the attractiveness and distinctiveness of the town centre.”
They added that the sculpture’s limited size means it would not affect the historic layout of the square, or result in the loss of any historic features.
The sculpture is intended to be installed ahead of the wider Ringwood Thriving Market Place project, which aims to improve the town centre public realm.
However, the council said the pig would not interfere with those plans, and that the artwork is expected to “integrate with future improvement works” without restricting or compromising them.
If approved, the town council said the commemorative artwork would “make a positive contribution to the character, distinctiveness and cultural significance” of Ringwood town centre while celebrating one of the town’s most important historic anniversaries.
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