Garden statue in Fareham gets dressed for the weather
A garden statue has become a popular feature in a Hampshire town after its owner started giving it a new outfit each day.
The stone statue, called Daphne, which sits in the front garden of a house in Fareham is dressed according to the weather and time of year.
Owner, Joan Knight said: "It gives people pleasure, they go by and smile."
She said she started dressing the statue after neighbours commented on its nakedness.
The statue's outfits come from local charity shops, but despite being behind railings, Daphne is often the victim of thieves who steal her clothes.
Mrs Knight said: "Poor Daphne ended up completely nude on Christmas Day, they took the lot. After we'd dressed her we went out to say 'Merry Christmas Daphne' and she was back in the nude."
After downsizing their home eight years ago, Mrs Knight said she was determined to keep the large stone statue on display.
She said: "We used to live in a cottage with a large garden, my husband Charles bought her and put her in the shrubbery where she looked quite alright in the nude."
Their house sits on Old Gosport Road, a busy road in Fareham, where the sculpture has an avid following of passers-by from school children to motorists.
One driver said: "I sit in dense traffic every evening, the anticipation of wondering what the statue is going to be wearing breaks up a rather boring journey."