Stonemason Ed Closier carving the legs of the seat to be placed at Tisbury War MemorialA CRAFTSMAN from Tisbury has begun work on a unique piece of sculpture for the village war memorial.

Stonemason Ed Closier is carving the legs for two seats, which will be placed either side of the memorial in the Square.

Mr Closier, who lives in Queen's Road, was approached by Jeff Scholefield, secretary of the Tisbury branch of the Royal British Legion, who had spotted Mr Closier's advert in a parish magazine.

Mr Scholefield said the branch had received an anonymous bequest last year, enabling improvements to be made to the memorial.

"Either side of the wall surrounding the memorial are two niches of different sizes in which we plan to install seats," he explained.

"We have bought from Ansty Sawmill two magnificent pieces of oak which will provide seats, and stone from Chilmark Quarry is being carved into legs for the seats."

Mr Closier (43), who has lived in Tisbury for more than 20 years, said there would be two legs for one seat and a central leg for the other seat.

"I am carving poppies up the front of the legs in the style of the poppies you buy for Remembrance Day, so everyone will recognise them," he said.

"There will be three on each leg to represent the army, the navy and the air force.

"The legs will stand about 20 inches high and the seats will be set into alcoves with the timber pushed back into slots cut in the alcove."

Mr Closier, whose work includes building stone walls and carving mullion windows, uses his weekends to carve the legs of the seats at his workshop in Chicksgrove.

"I have been doing this sort of work since 1984 when I finished my training in Weymouth and Portland," he said.

"I feel that to be asked to do this piece of work is an honour and it is nice to be able to draw something on paper, go through the stages and see it finished.

"I designed the poppies not to be too fancy - to me the whole idea of the war memorial is the names on it and I did not want to distract people from that."

He added: "Over the road from the war memorial is the old Wiltshire Brewery building and I got the contract to restore the raised lettering in the stonework.

"From the memorial you can see the lettering and from the brewery building you can see the memorial, so that is very satisfying."