as hollow towards the top through further down i see some indication of life.
No its not a goosebury its an african marigold me thinks.
It is definitely not african marigold. It appears to be a woody shrub. Would suggest you leave it alone until the spring. Clear pics to show the leaves would help to id it. Once you know what it is you can look up how to deal with it..decide whether or not to prune it and when to do the pruning.
If it's a chrysanthemum or other perennial it should make new growth from ground level in spring (my chrysanthemum has started already) and you can then cut off the old stems.
If it's a deciduous shrub it should grow new leaves in spring.
If it's an african marigold, it's not hardy in most of the UK and is grown as an annual, so you'd start new plants from seed in the spring.
If it's any of those, what you're seeing is normal winter behaviour. Maybe the one next to it is slightly more sheltered from the weather. All I can suggest is leave it alone for a couple of months and see what happens.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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It appears to be a woody shrub.
Would suggest you leave it alone until the spring.
Clear pics to show the leaves would help to id it.
Once you know what it is you can look up how to deal with it..decide whether or not to prune it and when to do the pruning.