Winchester plan for £100,000 Jane Austen statue triggers ‘Disneyfication’ fears

People at public meeting raise concerns that sculpture in cathedral grounds will attract tourists taking selfies

The idea was to celebrate one of the greatest British authors with a beautiful statue set up in a cathedral for the 250th anniversary of their birth.

But at a public meeting to discuss the erection of a Jane Austen sculpture close to her final resting place at Winchester Cathedral, concerns were raised that it would lead to the “Disneyfication” of the place of worship and become a magnet for tourists keen to get a selfie.