Calls for statue of actress Dame Maggie Smith to be erected in Sussex village where she shopped
Calls are being made for a statue of the late legendary actress Dame Maggie Smith to be erected in a Sussex village where she shopped.
Residents have taken to social media to share their views on the idea of erecting a statue to the star in Storrington where she was known to shop at Waitrose.
Dame Maggie – best known for her roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey – lived at Fittleworth.
The idea of a memorial statue kicked off on a local Facebook page with one resident asking: “Bearing in mind the great Dame Maggie Smith lived nearby and shopped in Storrington, how about erecting a statue of her in the village?”
Many backed the idea. One said: “It would make me so happy to have a Dame Maggie statue in the village!” And another: “Wonderful idea … such a lovely tribute to a wonderful lady.”
Another said: “Can’t wait to see the new ‘Dame Maggie memorial trolley shelter’ opened outside of Waitrose.”
But others condemned the idea as ‘ridiculous.’ Another suggested: “Maybe a blue plaque on Waitrose wall saying ‘Maggie Smith shopped here.’ A statue is a lovely idea but perhaps a bit much.”
Another said: “Considering she was a visiting shopper – no! If she was a long standing resident of Storrington then perhaps, but still bizarre.”
Another person asked: “Should every town or village have a statue of someone famous just because they frequented the place on the odd occasion? How about one of Marilyn Monroe then, who apparently came here and stayed with George Sanders? Or one of him (he did actually win an Oscar)? Or one of Shere Khan…? Or Greg Rusedski (who I’ve seen in Waitrose)?”
Meanwhile, other Storrington residents shared their memories of the star: “I bumped into her in the Tesco’s garage once and my children thanked her for recommending chocolate as a cure for bad spells!!!! She was enchanting.”
Another added: “My son met her in Tesco when he was working there in Storrington she gave him her autograph on a shopping receipt.” Another reminisced: "l met her outside Waitrose. Spoke to her a few times. A plaque on the wall outside the men’s hairdressers would be nice.”
Another shared her memory of shopping in Storrington’s Bunce’s hardware store with her son and her mother who was having ‘a funny turn’ because she spotted Dame Maggie in the store buying bread loaf baking tins. “In the meantime my son decided to have a dance and sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little star’ with great vigour. Dame Maggie smiled at me, patted him on the head and said ‘he’s going to be a star.’ My mum’s jaw dropped.”
Dame Maggie spoke out about shopping in Storrington Waitrose on BBC TV’s Graham Norton Show in 2015. She said: “I was in Waitrose in Storrington and a little boy was at the checkout with his mother and kept looking at me. He kept looking at me and looking at me and I said ‘can I help you?’ and he said ‘it’s alright it will come to me in a minute’. I thought it was so sweet.”
What do you think, should a statue of Dame Maggie Smith be erected in Storrington? Email [email protected]