Statues - Hither & Thither

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Liverpool
Merseyside
North West England

Dukes Terrace car-park (L1) ☐

William Huskisson

Birtsmorton Court, Malvern, Worcestershire 1770 - Eccles 1830
British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament. He is best known today, however, as the world's first widely reported railway casualty as he was run over and fatally wounded by George Stephenson's pioneering locomotive engine Rocket
(Wikipedia)

John Gibson
1847

Description

Statue of William Huskisson in a toga.
Huskisson's widow commissioned a marble statue for the Custom House in Liverpool. This statue now stands in Pimlico Gardens in London. The bronze casting at the car park in Duke Street in Liverpool was unveiled at the Custom House in London in 1847. The Customs House was destroyed during air raids in 1940. In 1954 the sculpture was moved to Liverpool on the Princes Road/Princes Avenue. In 1982 the sculpture was pulled from its plinth because people thought Huskisson had been a slave trader. From 1982 onwards the bronze sculpture was housed in the Oratory in St James's Mount Gardens, and after restoration in 2004 placed at the present location.

Another marble statue is in the cathedral of Chichester.

Inscription(s)

WILLIAM HUSKISSON
1770-1830

member of parliament
for liverpool 1825-30

Sculptor

John Gibson (Conwy 1790 - Rome 1866), Welsh Neoclassical sculptor who studied in Rome under Canova (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, List of public art in Liverpool.
London Remembers, Huskisson Statue.
St James' Cemetery, Liverpool, Huskisson Statue.
The Guardian, 3 Sept. 2021, 'Huskisson defended slavery': audio work recalls toppling of Liverpool statue in 1982.

Locatie (N 53°24'2" - W 2°58'38") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbnw119; Photograph: 19 June 2023
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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