A SCULPTOR will have his work shown at the prestigious V&A museum in London.

A piece by Shepley artist Dave Bradbury has caught the eye of curators of the exhibition Power of Making.

And the owner of the sculpture, comedian Bill Bailey, has agreed to loan the artwork to the museum to be displayed alongside hundreds of other crafted objects.

The sculpture is a special book carved from Shepley stone which uses Bailey’s image as inspiration.

Dave has made 10 aluminium casts of it, some of which will stand alongside the original stone piece in the South Kensington museum.

The 44-year-old said: “It was just out of the blue that the V&A called up and asked me – it was a big shock but it’s fantastic.

“I’m going to display some exact copies of the book cast from aluminium next to it which will be a nice contrast next to the original stone work.”

Dave also wanted to display the hand-carved stone bench he carved for Shepley.

The two-tonne bench marks the entrance to the village and offers a handy resting spot for walkers on the Kirklees Way.

And the design incorporates the village’s tailoring and textile history.

Dave said: “The bench isn’t going to go into the exhibition because it would have taken too much work to relocate it and I would need permission to move it.

“It would have been a feather in the cap for Shepley village if it had gone in the exhibition though.”

The father-of-two used to work as a sculptural contractor for cruise liners and currently takes regular commissions for gravestone carving.

He said: “Stone is a lovely thing to work in; you go at a very slow pace and work very carefully.

“There’s a dividing line between the pieces I do for work and the other, more artistic pieces I do.

“Doing people’s headstones is such a responsibility because you want it to be just right for the family.

“You’re in a position where you can express for them what they didn’t know could be expressed in stone.

“It’s such a nice feeling when the family tell me what I’ve done is beautiful.

“With the sculptures I do it’s different. I can put more of my own creativity and heart into it and I’m not so precise with the work. My style tends to be more child-like and scruffy.”

The V&A exhibition begins in September. Visit www.vam.ac.uk for more information.

To find out more about Dave’s work visit www.bydavebradbury.co.uk.