A BRONZE statue is to be installed in Beaconsfield to mark the life of the town's celebrated luminary Edmund Burke, after an anonymous benefactor offered to pay.

The philosopher and author, who is renowned for his work Reflections On The Revolution In France, lived in Beaconsfield in the 18th century and is buried at St Mary and All Saints Church in Windsor End.

Members of the Beaconsfield and District Historical Society received a letter from the Edmund Burke Society last year, asking for permission from the town council to allocate a place for the memorial.

The council agreed to the plan in principle but said it still needs to find a location.

Town councillor Dr Les Davies said: "We identified places where we could put it but we wanted to know what size it would be."

Residents in the town said they were delighted with the plan.

John Gorton, who lives in Penn Road, said: "I think it would be excellent but one would have to find a site. It certainly needs to be somewhere that people can see it. We have had a lot of authors here Edmund Waller, Enid Blyton a whole mass of literary figures in Beaconsfield. It is nice to bring them into public view.

"Burke is the senior and the main one. I am thrilled."

Mr Burke, who was born in Dublin in 1729, lived at Gregories in the New Town and had a number of roads in Beaconsfield named after him. He died on July 9, 1797, at the age of 68.

Don Jarvis, chairman of the Beaconsfield and District Historical Society, added: "The statues have already been put up elsewhere in the world.

"It would be excellent to have a statue of one of the town's luminaries and one of the great authors from Beaconsfield in the town."

The donation has been offered by a descendant of Edmund Burke.

It is thought the monument could be put up in the New Town.