A CONTROVERSIAL two-metre cast iron statue dubbed “the robotic Angel of the North” will soon be installed at a Kimmeridge beauty spot.

This statue, called LAND, will become a temporary feature at Clavell Tower, as part of The Landmark Trust’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Every year the trust opens up hundreds of its historic buildings to the public – this year, on May 16/17, the charity will hold a special ‘Golden Weekend’

The statue, created by Antony Gormley, is being installed at the historic tower to coincide with this event.

Mr Gormley said: “There is an excitement about making a sculpture that can live out here, moulding with the geology of this magnificent Jurassic coastline.

“The sculpture will be like a standing stone, a marker in space and time, linking with a specific place and its history but also looking out towards the horizon, having a conversation with a future that hasn’t yet happened.”

LAND, which will remain at Kimmeridge for one year, will be one of five statues placed around the country to mark the anniversary.

But the statue has already split local opinion. After it was granted temporary planning permission by Purbeck District Council’s planning committee, last year, committee chairman Peter Wharf commented: “I think it is a bit like Marmite, people will either love it or hate it.”

Visitors will be able to look inside Clavell Tower for free from 10am-4pm throughout the weekend.

Landmark Trust engagement manager Kasia Howard explained: “We would love to see local communities at Clavell Tower during the Golden Weekend – people for whom this amazing landmark is part of their local scene, and who perhaps knew the building before its restoration.

“The Golden Weekend will mark the diversity of the nation and be an opportunity to celebrate the diverse settings of our landmarks and our range of achievements in our 50th year.”

Clavell Tower, which fell into disrepair after the First World War, was moved 85ft to safety, brick-by-brick, from the eroding cliff top at Kimmeridge, as part of a two-year restoration project ending in 2008.

This Landmark Trust project cost around £1million and involved moving 16,272 bricks.