'I enjoy having the responsibility of keeping the hedge looking nice - I enjoy being involved in creativity.'
A retired art teacher has cut a hedge cut in the shape of a naked woman outside his house for almost 20 years.
Pensioner Keith Tyssen, 90, decided in 2005 that he would indulge his love for sculpture by turning the hedge in front of his home into a woman.
Naming her Gloria, the father-of-four says people stop and take photos of the 5ft tall reclining figure as they pass his house in Sheffield.
And despite drunk people climbing on her for a grope – he’s even caught people pretending to have sex with the topiary – he has no plans to stop.
He said: ‘I’m 90 now but still fairly physically ok, so I’ll keep her going. She isn’t going anywhere. She’ll stay sat there on my wall.
‘The shape isn’t easy to do, so when I do get compliments, it’s very pleasant to hear. People do smile when they see Gloria and I like that.’
Keith explained he hadn’t planned a naked lady when he started manipulating his hedge into a slightly larger than life lady.
He achieved her shape thanks to his time as an art student when he completed life drawing lessons, before becoming a teacher.
He said: ‘I started by doing a figure of a monster which was headbutting a lamp post at the end of my garden and then it developed into this monster defending a maiden.
‘She developed slowly over two to three years – it was quite fun really. The lady came out of my love for visual invention – it’s just a creative thing I enjoy messing about with.’
Over the years Keith woke up on a few occasions to drunk people who mounted Gloria and pretended to have sex with her for photos.
It would annoy Keith as it would damage her shape – but thankfully he hasn’t had any unwanted visitors for a while.
Keith has maintained Gloria to encourage art on the streets, adding: ‘As a society we would benefit from having more public art which is beautiful, thoughtful and gentle.
‘It doesn’t have to be hilarious, but thoughtful, gentle humour is a good thing.
‘People do smile when they see Gloria, they don’t break into hilarious laughter but quietly smile, and I like seeing that humour in people’s faces.
‘I enjoy having the responsibility of keeping the hedge looking nice – I enjoy being involved in creativity.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
