Letter: What Has Happened to Tunsgate Man?

Published on: 16 Mar, 2018
Updated on: 16 Mar, 2018

The Edward and Eleanor sundial back in position, facing Guildford Castle

From Valerie Bale

It’s good to see the Edward and Eleanor sundial back up but what’s happened to the naked green man?

The Tunsgate Man – patriotically attired.

The developer, Queensberry, has said that they felt the”Tunsgate Man” did not fit with their new interior design and have given the statue back to its sculptor. Local teachers looking for a male anatomy teaching aid will have to look elsewhere! Ed.

Responses to Letter: What Has Happened to Tunsgate Man?

Sue Fox Reply

March 17, 2018 at 12:43 pm

And just who did they consult? Bring back Tunsgate man!
Bernard Parke Reply

March 17, 2018 at 1:35 pm

There is too much going on without apparent consultation these days.

Unfortunately, too few people speak out, and those who do speak out are ostracized.
Valerie Thompson Reply

March 18, 2018 at 10:16 am

How rude to return the statue to its sculptor. Presumably, it was either paid for in the first place or was a gift. Either way, he should have been given a new home.

There are other places around Guildford where this statue could have been erected. He would look better than some of the wooden, and perishable carvings placed elsewhere. Why not put him on the redundant town bridge, looking over into the river?
Dave Middleton Reply

March 18, 2018 at 11:29 am

While I too wish that the Tunsgate Man was still standing tall and proud in the new Tunsgate, the fact is that Tunsgate is a private development and the owners are entitled to pick and choose what they have in it.

If I had a statue in my front room and decided to remove it after I redecorated the room, I wouldn’t have to go out to public consultation about my choice.

Perhaps those who bemoan his removal should contact the sculptor and perhaps raise a public subscription to enable his re-siting somewhere else in the town?

I’d be happy to put a couple of tenners in the pot.
Helena Townsend Reply

March 19, 2018 at 12:16 pm

It’s not rude at all to return this statue to the sculptor – the rudest thing to do would have been to throw it in a skip.

It’s so odd the things some people choose to complain about.

Why can we not congratulate Queensbury for providing a high-class facility for our town?
Susan Kay-Attwood Reply

March 20, 2018 at 12:07 am

The green man, green bowl and green leaves were a whole sculpture called into the heart returning. I hope the artist got all of them back. It would be nice if they could be found a new home. Maybe in the Friary?

Anyway, I am glad the sundial is back.
Valerie Thompson Reply

March 20, 2018 at 5:22 pm

I would be most offended if a picture I had painted and given to someone as a present, or I had sold one to someone and it was returned with the message that it was no longer suitable for their house.

It’s the same thing as returning this statue. Rude! I’m talking about manners.

I have not yet seen the development but I am sure it is very attractive and useful. I am not complaining about that.
Juliet Miller Hills Reply

March 27, 2018 at 3:33 pm

Guildford is a unique historical town, with its steep high street, the cathedral on the green hill, and the theatre in the valley by a canal lock. I hope nobody would change the character of the area, especially where the pilgrims crossed at the golden ford of the Wey to go to Canterbury.

It is my home base (I went to school at George Abbot), not a tourist attraction or a business centre. Families live in Guildford. It is not here for non-resident developers to make money from.