The sculpture that left a town stumped and divided

When an award-winning artist created a Nottinghamshire town's new centrepiece in 1989, there were hopes it would be warmly embraced like Trafalgar Square's lions or the Angel of the North.

Instead, it's joined an unfortunate club of divisive artworks, such as Michael Jackson’s statue outside Craven Cottage or the bronze bust of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Beeston's "stump", as it has been branded by locals, has long been undervalued and controversial, according to Tamar Feast from the Beeston Civic Society.

The sculpture was recently moved from Beeston Square to a new spot in front of the Arc Cinema, but it remains both loved and hated by residents.

"It was stupid when they had it [in the original location], and it's even more stupid now," said 75-year-old Denise Turner.

"It had water on it at one time, but all it did was make it go green."

The artwork is officially called the Water Head and once featured water.

But how did we end up with a waterless Water Head?

The sculpture is the work of Paul Mason, who had lived in nearby Long Eaton in Derbyshire at the time before his death in 2006.

It was commissioned by Broxtowe Borough Council in 1989.

Mr Mason had also created the similar Leaf Stem sculpture for Nottingham City Council, which remains in Lister Gate near the Marks & Spencer store.

David Manley, who worked closely with Mr Mason for 25 years, said the Water Head was intended to make people stop and remember the natural world in a bustling town.

It achieved this through its flowing water on real Italian marble, Mr Manley added, but after failing water quality tests, it was de-activated indefinitely in 1994.

"A lot of the controversy centres around that," Ms Feast said.

She said without the water in the water feature, people began questioning the sculpture's purpose.

There was also a lack of appreciation for visual art, according to Mr Manley.

"That's always been the fate of public art in the UK, I put it down to the fact we're a literary nation," he said.

"I blame William Shakespeare for all this, we're not very visual people."

After surviving the water switch-off, back in July it was announced the Water Head would be relocated so that Beeston Square could be renovated - with the move completed last month.

There are plans to add a plaque to the work, to reduce its controversy by educating people about its history, Ms Feast said.

"There's no description, no title, no plaque," she explained. "It's very easy [for it] to just become part of the furniture."

Meanwhile, Mr Manley told the BBC that Mr Mason would "relish" the debate and controversy if he was still alive.

"[Paul] was a working-class lad from Bolton. He'd buy somebody a pint and sit down with them and explain what his thinking and ideas were," he said.

"He was a warm, generous, character, so if at the end of it they said it was rubbish, he would say 'fair enough'."

A spokesperson for the council said the sculpture's new location would be filled with plants and bark to return the "stump" to an area more fitting of its tree-like appearance.

An official unveiling will take place alongside Beeston Light Night in January.

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