WE are not amused.

That's the view of residents of a Hampshire town after a plaque of the Queen was unveiled - which they say looks nothing like her at all.

Daily Echo:

The stone plaque, to mark Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, was met with dismay - with one resident suggesting it looks more like a cartoon character than the reigning monarch.

The round artwork, commissioned by Test Valley Arts Foundation and put in place in Romsey Library, is designed to complement a similar plaque to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, which is outside Victoria Cottages.

The plaque, which was designed by Southampton sculptor Chris Cudlip, cost £2,000 - with £500 of that money coming from Test Valley Borough Council's community budget.

However, county and Test Valley Borough councillor Mark Cooper was less than happy with the new piece He said: “As a piece of 'art' it is satisfactory but I think both HM The Queen and Romsey deserve a better commemoration of her Jubilee.

Daily Echo:

“Having welcomed HM The Queen to Romsey in 2007, the test I would set is would I have been happy unveiling this plaque in the presence of HM The Queen, and the answer is no, sadly not.”

Mr Cooper agreed to contribute the cash from the budget toward the project before seeing the finished article.

Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Roy Perry, who is also a trustee of the arts foundation, and another county councillor Cllr Pat West, from Andover, also funded the artwork.

Another borough councillor Cllr Ian Richards was guarded with his views of the plaque.

Daily Echo:

He said: “Art is in the eye of the beholder.

“Looking at the Queen Victoria plaque, that was representative of the Victoria but I'm not sure this one adequately portrays our Queen.”

The event was attended by Caroline Nokes MP who said: “I am conscious that art is subjective, and that the plaque is of course in 3D so looks different not just to different people but also from different angles.”

Test Valley Arts Foundation's development officer Michael Widen said the piece had been generally well received and said it was a “matter of taste and expectation”.

He said: “I am surprised by the reaction because the feedback I received was good.

“People think it looks very subtle and artistic - If there are some people that have commented they don't like it then that's normal.”

Originally the plaque was to be made in terracotta and intended to hang on an outside wall of the Test valley Borough Council's offices in Church Street.

But the original red design was thought unsuitable for that site and was rejected by councillors.

Sculptor Chris Cudlip was unavailable for comment.