THE statue of Bromsgrove's most famous son has moved from its traditional High Street position for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Alfred Edward Housman's statue was moved from its position near Lloyd's Bank last week.

It has been moved from the High Street while a new main resurfaced walkway is laid as part of £2 million revamp of the town centre.

It is the first time the statue has been moved since being erected in 1985, when a fundraising campaign supported by the Advertiser led to it being commissioned by the Housman Memorial Trust.

The plan is for the statue, which depicts Housman striding with a walking stick, to be moved only a short distance to become a focal point of a new town square.

Housman was born in Fockbury in 1859 and lived in Perry Hall, now Housman Hall, until he was 12.

Annually on the poet's birthdate the town's Housman Society gather around the statue for an event commemorating his work and celebrating his life.

But this year's event had to be switched to the John Adams Memorial Cross in Bromsgrove Cemetery because of the work.

Worcestershire County Council has estimated construction work of the new-look High Street will finish around mid-July.