Britten memorial makes waves

A sculpture commemorating the life of composer Benjamin Britten is making an unwelcome splash in the genteel seaside town he called home.

Sculptor Maggi Hambling says the 12-foot steel scallop shell on Aldeburgh’s wind-swept beach is a fitting tribute to the composer of the operas “Peter Grimes” and “Billy Budd,” who lived in the town and loved its rugged North Sea coast.

But some think the work, installed in November, spoils the view along the beach. Faced with petitions, angry letters and calls for a referendum, officials in the eastern English county of Suffolk are considering hauling it to a new site.

“This is a beautiful stretch of beach which Benjamin Britten loved,” said Maggie Ling, an illustrator who helped start a petition against the memorial. “The idea of putting a tribute to him there desecrates the beach.”

Hambling, who also designed a statue of Oscar Wilde that stands near London’s Trafalgar Square, said she was disappointed by the reaction.

“I really thought Aldeburgh might be pleased to have my sculpture,” said the artist, who comes from Suffolk and knows its rugged coast well.