Oakham Rutland and Rutland News Martin Brookes: The Jeffrey Hudson Statue From Hudson Cottage to the Museum Garden

Monday, May 11, 2026

The Jeffrey Hudson Statue From Hudson Cottage to the Museum Garden.

The Jeffrey Hudson Statue From Hudson Cottage to the Museum Garden. The statue of Sir Jeffrey Hudson in Oakham, Rutland, has a storied history. For years, it stood in the private garden of Hudson Cottage. Following the passing of the cottage's final owners, the family generously donated the piece to the town.

To prepare the statue for its new public life, Oakham in Bloom commissioned an artist to "refresh its appearance". It was relocated to the Oakham Castle Museum garden, where it can be viewed by residents and visitors alike.

However, the transformation hasn't been without controversy. The original stonemason who carved the statue, Steve Nicholson, recently reached out after seeing the changes to his work. His reaction was blunt:

"I was a bit gutted, to put it mildly!"

Steve is currently gathering more archival material, including original photographs and press clippings from the statue's initial unveiling, to share shortly.

I wrote about the change in April 2017

https://martinbrookes.blogspot.com/2017/04/sir-jeffrey-hudson-statue-rutland.html