Sculpture Honoring Author Robert Louis Stevenson to Feature Jekyll and Hyde Theme

A sculpture commemorating author Robert Louis Stevenson will be installed close to his previous residence. Stevenson resided in Bournemouth between 1884 and 1887, a period during which he penned his horror novella, *Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde*. The proposed design for Alum Chine draws inspiration from the novella’s characters, portraying the author’s head divided vertically and composed of two distinct materials. This artwork is the creation of sculptor Tim Ward, known for other public installations such as the Jon Egging Memorial located on Bournemouth’s Overcliff. Stevenson, a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer who lived from 1850 to 1894, also authored works such as *Treasure Island* and *A Child’s Garden of Verses*. He relocated to Skerryvore in Westbourne with his wife, bestowing the house with a name derived from a Scottish lighthouse constructed by his uncle. The residence was demolished during a German air raid in November 1940, and the location, which retains the house’s original footprint, now serves as a memorial garden. BCP Council has submitted a planning application for the installation of the 2.3m-high sculpture adjacent to the beach path, accessible from Alumhurst Road. One half of the sculpture will be fabricated from rust-coloured weathering steel, while the other half will consist of marine-grade stainless steel. This artwork forms a component of the Coastal Communities Seafront Infrastructure Initiative, a £19m government-funded program designed to enhance the coastline of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole. BCP Council states that the initiative’s objective is to “attract people to overlooked areas of the seafront via cultural and heritage interventions and trails”.