Folkestone Gets Ahead: St Eanswythe Statue in Radnor Park to Regain Missing Head by August

Folkestone’s most famous headless resident is finally due a reunion. After more than a year without a face, the statue of St Eanswythe at the entrance to Radnor Park is to receive a new head, councillors heard at last night’s Folkestone & Hythe District Council  full council meeting.

Cllr Belinda Walker  – pictured – raised the issue, noting—with a touch of gallows humour—that visitors arriving for the town’s Triennial might enjoy a cup of tea in the park, “but it would be a shame if our patron saint was not there to greet them with a smile or indeed any other facial expression.”

Cabinet Member Cllr McConville  – pictured -confirmed that while the original sculptor could not take on the repair, officers—working with that artist—have secured a specialist replacement. Work is expected to start shortly, with the new head in place by the end of August 2025.

The statue, installed in 2017 to watch over the playing fields, lost its head to vandals sometime between 19 and 21 June 2024, prompting a police investigation and public appeals for information. 

St Eanswythe herself is a figure of deep local significance: a 7th‑century Kentish princess and abbess whose relics were identified in Folkestone in 2020, and whose story underpins much of the town’s heritage pride. 

With the Folkestone Triennial now drawing art‑lovers to the town through the summer and into autumn, the timing is fitting. The festival runs from 19 July to 19 October, making the saint’s restored visage a likely late‑season attraction.

As Cllr Anita Jones, the Chair of the Council – pictured –  drily concluded: “It’d be nice to have the head back.” Few in Folkestone would disagree. Soon, if all goes to plan, St Eanswythe will once again be able to look visitors squarely in the eye.

The Shepway Vox Team

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