THE COUNTDOWN to Christmas is officially on, as the Lord John Douglas-Montagu-Scott statue in Dunchurch has got his glad rags on for the holiday season.
The statue has been dressed up as the snowman Olaf from the film Frozen II, continuing a tradition which goes back over 40 years.
Anonymous pranksters give the statue a festive fancy dress costume every December, with Lord John appearing as the Grinch, an Olympian, The Queen, Spider-Man, a Star Wars stormtrooper, a Minion, Paddingon, a Smurf and Postman Pat in previous years.
The Lord was a Guards Officer and MP who lived in Dunchurch and owned land around the area. He died in 1860 aged 50, and his family are still one of the largest landowners in Europe.
Chair of Dunchurch Festival Group Robert Collings said: “What the statue is dressed as is always the focus of attention in the area at this time of year, with some even holding sweepstakes as to what it will be, but it is always dressed as a character from a popular film or currently in the media spotlight.”
