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Nelson Monument

Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) was killed while leading the English navy to victory against French Napoleonic forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
(Wikipedia)

Richard Westmacott & Matthew Cotes Wyatt
1813

Description

Circular stone monument, with on top a bronze sculpture group featuring Nelson astride a cannon, Victory above him, a sailor, a mourning Britannia, and a skeleton emerging from beneath a draped flag. Around the pedestal are prisoners of war in shackles, interspersed with four panels showing Nelson's victories at St Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar.

Nelson receiving the surrender of the San José at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797

Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798

Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801

The Death of Nelson at Trafalgar

Inscription(s)

Around the monument is circumscribed:

england expects every man to do his duty

(the text appears twice).

Annotation

The monument was Liverpool's first major public sculpture and commemorates Nelson as a great English hero. The monument was unveiled in October 1813. It was designed by Matthew Coates Wyatt and sculpted by (Sir) Richard Westmacott. The sculpture was funded by public subscription. William Roscoe (1753-1831) donated a large amount of money to the fund and influenced the choice of designer. As Roscoe was an anti-slavery campaigner, there are debates around the sculpture having a dual role in symbolising both prisoners of war and the suffering produced by slavery.

Sculptors

Sir Richard Westmacott Jr, (1775-1856), British sculptor (Wikipedia).
Matthew Cotes Wyatt (1777-1862), British painter and sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Bob Speel, Liverpool's Old Town Hall, and Exchange Flags.
Liverpool Museums, Conserving Liverpool's Nelson monument.

Location (N 53°24'27" - W 2°59'31")

Item Code: gbnw014; Photograph: 23 October 2009
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt