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
Severus Snape film, MTV held a public poll for fans to vote for the best character in the series, and Snape was voted #1. Around the same time, "Empire" magazine held a public poll for fans to vote for the 25 greatest characters in the series, and Snape once again came in at #1. In May 2011, Snape was again voted as the #1 favourite Harry Potter character in a public poll held by the Bloomsbury publishing house. In 2014, Watchmojo.com ranked him #1 on their "Top 10 Harry Potter Characters" list (beating Harry Potter; who is ranked #2) while they ranked