Twickenham-based charity Aurora Metro has launched a heritage project to create the first-ever life-sized, full-figure bronze statue of Virginia Woolf.

A new book titled Virginia Woolf in Richmond will also be published in November, offering an overview of the decade that Virginia Woolf lived and worked in Richmond with husband Leonard.

Distinguished sculptor Laury Dizengremel, whose latest work is the statue of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in Hammersmith has been commissioned to create the life-size sculpture which sees Woolf, in her 20s, sitting on a bench, as though waiting for passers-by to join her in conversation.

Henrietta Garnett, author and Woolf’s great niece said: “The statue bears a remarkable resemblance to my great aunt. It’s a wonderful idea to put it in Richmond where she spent 10 years of her life.”

The plan is to site the artwork on the terraces at Richmond upon Thames Riverside.

Following a public consultation which was supported by 83% of residents who responded, the Charity is currently seeking to raise £50,000 by July 2019.

Cheryl Robson, project leader added: "As James Joyce, the other leading Modernist writer has long had a full-size statue in Dublin, it’s time that we honoured Virginia Woolf’s contribution not only to English literature but also to the on-going debate concerning female equality.”

The book explores an important decade in Virginia Woolf’s life when she lived in Richmond with her husband Leonard and co-founded the Hogarth Press. It was an incredibly productive period of her life when she began experimenting with writing novels.

The book will celebrate her influence on modernist literature, and the statue will act as a lasting and interactive memorial to her genius. Virginia Woolf in Richmond will cost £16.99 and is out in November.

The books editor Peter Fullagar is giving talks on his discoveries at Victoria Library on November 7, at Marylebone Library on November 12, and the Richmond Literature Festival on November 13.