Prince William and Kate’s Norfolk neighbours Lord Cholmondeley and his wife Rose Hanbury install 100 life-size iron statues resembling naked people by Angel of the North artist Sir Antony Gormley in their grounds

The neighbors of the Prince and Princess of Wales have installed 100 life-size cast-iron statues resembling naked people in the grounds of their stately home.

The strange figures were recently spotted on the lawns of the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley’s Houghton Hall.

The six-foot-tall figures – complete with metal genitals on display – are embedded in the ground as part of Angel of the North artist Sir Antony Gormley’s Time Horizon exhibition, which costs £22 per ticket.

“We have this beautiful park and it’s ideal for sculpture,” explains Lord Cholmondeley, 63, also known as filmmaker David Rocksavage.

Similar statues, said to resemble Sir Antony’s naked body, have been displayed on Crosby Beach in Liverpool. In 2021, they had to be removed from the sand to have the foundation replaced, after strong currents and drifting sand caused the statues to topple.

The six-foot-tall figures with genitals on display are embedded in the ground as part of Angel of the North artist Sir Antony Gormley’s £22-per-ticket exhibition Time Horizon.

Lord Cholmondeley, whose wife, Rose, recently turned 40, admitted he felt “somewhat uneasy” about the sculptures – some of which are partially buried – that make up the work.

The sculptures, each weighing 620kg, are spread over 300 hectares of land on the estate.

They are all installed at the same reference level: some are buried and others are raised on concrete columns.

Gormley said his ambition for the show “is for people to roam far and wide.”

“Art has lately privileged the object rather than the experience that objects can initiate,” he said.

‘Time horizon is not a picture, it is a field and you are in it. The work places the experience of the subject/visitor/main character on an equal footing with all material presences, organic and inorganic.

‘The quality of light, the time of year, the condition of the weather and the state of your mind, body and soul are all involved in this field, as is all the evidence in it of human activities that have already been accomplished, as well as the abundance of life forms that surround the room.’

The sculptures, each weighing 620kg, are spread over 300 hectares of land on the estate

The strange figures have been spotted in the grounds of the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley’s Houghton Hall in recent days

‘We have this beautiful park and it’s ideal for sculpture,’ explains Lord Cholmondeley, 63, aka filmmaker David Rocksavage (pictured)

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ neighbors in Norfolk have had 100 life-size iron statues resembling naked people installed by artist Sir Antony Gormley, best known for the Angel of the North sculpture (pictured) in Gateshead

Similar statues, said to resemble Sir Antony’s naked body, have been displayed on Crosby Beach in Liverpool

In 2021 they had to be removed from the sand to have the foundation replaced after strong currents and drifting sand caused the statues to topple

Sir Antony’s ‘Another Place’ installation on Crosby Beach attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the seaside attraction every year

The statues stand upright on the beach and at high tide the figures are submerged in the ocean and affected by the seawater

The naked figures, which overlook the mouth of the River Mersey, caused considerable controversy when they were first installed

Lord Cholmondeley said: ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to show this large-scale work by Antony Gormley for the first time in Britain.

‘The 100 life-size sculptures will cover a much larger area than our previous shows, allowing visitors to experience more of the historic landscape surrounding the house.’

The ‘Time Horizon’ exhibition was first installed in Catanzaro, Italy, in 2006.

Sir Antony’s ‘Another Place’ installation on Crosby Beach attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the seaside attraction every year.

They were put on display in July 2005 and work on the ‘renovation and maintenance plan’ started in the autumn of 2019.

The statues stand upright on the beach and at high tide the statues are submerged in the ocean and affected by the sea water.

The naked figures, which overlook the mouth of the River Mersey, caused considerable controversy when they were first installed, but in 2007 it was decided to keep them as a permanent attraction under the ownership of Sefton Council.

Many residents previously praised Sir Antony’s work as a welcome addition to the seaside resort’s cultural attractions, but others were less complimentary.

Others not only said they looked like oversized sex toys, but also compared the piece to a “variety of giant dog poop” or “giant rabbit feces.”