Bids to save moor's giant chair

The chair is 20ft-high Enlarge Image

An internet campaign has been launched to save a 20ft (6m) high oak chair in the Devon countryside.

The sculpture, near Widecombe-in-the-Moor on Dartmoor, was built two years ago by artist Henry Bruce on private land without planning permission.

He was granted retrospective permission - providing that the chair was then removed by 2 March 2009.

Now a campaign has started on the social networking site Facebook to "Save the Giant's chair on Dartmoor".

'More voices'

The limited planning permission for the former furniture maker's sculpture was granted by the Dartmoor planning authority when it came to its attention.

Sam Shields, from Plymouth, created the campaign.

In a statement on Facebook, he said: "Please can you invite your friends and post any pictures you take.

"Lots of locals do not know it is even there, as it is not in any tourist books."

Mr Bruce said he hoped the campaign would be successful and added that he was working to renew the planning permission.

He said: "If the chair was being threatened, the more voices to promote it, the better."