Aldeburgh to shore tragically without him. The sculpture is controversial in the local area, with some local residents considering it spoiling the beach. It has been vandalised with graffiti and paint on 13 occasions. There have been petitions for its removal and for its retention. A nearby aerodrome "Royal Naval Air Station Aldeburgh" was used during the First World War as a Night Landing Ground and for the training of observers. Outside the town, the Snape Maltings is the venue for the Aldeburgh Festival held every June. Aldeburgh Music Club was founded by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears in 1952. The
Benjamin Britten the parish church. The festival was an immediate success and became an annual event that has continued into the 21st century. New works by Britten featured in almost every festival until his death in 1976, including the premieres of his operas "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Jubilee Hall in 1960 and "Death in Venice" at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in 1973. Unlike many leading English composers, Britten was not known as a teacher, but in 1949 he accepted his only private pupil, Arthur Oldham, who studied with him for three years. Oldham made himself useful, acting as musical assistant