A THRIVING school which teaches sculpture to art lovers from all around the world has uprooted and moved to Devon.

The Sculpture School will re-open for business in Bondleigh in November after its owners were forced to move from their studio in Wendover, Buckinghamshire due to the HS2 rail project.

Andrew Sinclair and Diane Coates, who have just curated The Great British Sculpture Show at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, decided to move their entire operation to Devon because they liked the area so much.

“We didn’t want to move, but we had no other choice when we found HS2 was coming within a stone’s throw of our studio in Bucks,” said Andrew, 52.

“Initially, we planned to relocate to another part of the county, but we couldn’t find anywhere we liked at the right price. We regularly travel to Devon to visit friends and we had fallen in love with the place. So when the right property came up near Bondleigh, we took the plunge and decided to move everything there.”

The relocation to Devon comes at the end of a hectic period for the pair who set up the hugely-successful Great British Sculpture show at Hatfield House which ran from April to September. About 20 of the UK’s foremost artists exhibited their works in the gardens of the country house, and there were more than 80 sculptures.

The show was so successful, with attendances to Hatfield’s gardens increasing by up to 20 per cent during peak periods, that Andrew and Diane have been asked to return in 2016 to curate another similar event.

But for the time being, they are intent to establish themselves in Devon. Their Sculpture School has been running for four years and draws in students from all over the globe.

“We’ve just had two students from Sweden, and others have come from Beijing and South Africa, but of course we also want local people to enjoy the school and we hope it will take off in Devon,” said Diane, 58.

The Sculpture School specialises in figurative (realist) work and offers a variety of short courses.

“I believe we are completely unique because no one else teaches the type of techniques that Andrew has designed and developed over 20 years of being a sculptor,” added Diane. “He is absolutely passionate about the value of traditional figurative art and the importance of quality craftsmanship.”

One of Andrew’s admirers is the Doctor Who actor Colin Baker who sat for a bronze resin bust at the Bucks studio last year. Colin, who also starred in TV’s I’m A Celebrity, was thrilled with the sculpture which he keeps in pride of place in his home.

Colin Baker said: “I found Andrew wonderfully talented. It was a privilege to sit for him. He has a knack of capturing truly lifelike images of his subjects, retaining the real essence of their characters while telling a story within the composition of the sculpture.

“I am sure Andrew and Diane will be a huge success in Devon and take the art world there by storm.”