Statues - Hither & Thither

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Strand (WC2)
(St Clement Danes)

William Ewart Gladstone

Liverpool 29 December 1809 - Hawarden 19 May 1898
British Liberal Party statesman and four times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1868-74, 1880-85, 1886 and 1892-94).
(Wikipedia)

Hamo Thornycroft
1905

Description

Bronze statue of Gladstone, wearing the robes of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Around the base are allegorical figures, mostly women with one or more children, representing Gladstone's strengths and ideals:

Education: a woman with a book and one child, with excellent pose, drapes, and face.
Courage: a woman with fearful child, killing a snake with her scythe.
Aspiration: a woman with a book (perhaps a bible?) gazing heavenward.
Brotherhood: a matronly woman with two boys.

London - William Ewart Gladstone
Education
Courage
Aspiration
Brotherhood

On the sides of the plinth are the arms of some of Gladstone's constituencies (with the years he was MP for that constituency):

Midlothian (1880-95).
South-Lancashire (1865-68).
Oxford University (1847-65).
Newark (1832-45).

London - William Ewart Gladstone
Midlothian
South-Lancashire
Oxford University
Newark

Signature

(Education) hamo thornycroft r.a. sc

Annotation

Unveiled 4 November 1905 by the MP John Morley, a supporter and biographer of Gladstone.

London - William Ewart Gladstone

Sculptor

Sir William Hamo Thornycroft (London 1850 - 1925), British sculptor, son of Thomas Thornycroft (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, List of public art in the City of Westminster.
Bob Speel, London sculpture.
George L. Gomme, Return of outdoor memorials in London (London: City Council, 1910) (through Internet Archive).
John Blackwood, London's Immortals: The Complete Outdoor Commemorative Statues (London: Savoy, 1989), p. 204-207.
Andrew Kershman, London's Monuments (London: Metro Publ., 2013), p. 165-166.
Peter Matthews, London's Statues and Monuments (Botley: Shire, 2012), p. 60-61.

Location (N 51°30'46" - W 0°6'52")

Item Code: gblo083; Photograph: 4 August 2014
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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