Monday, 2 June 2014

*GREENWICH* - Walter Raleigh (1554-1618)

This statue of one of England's greatest explorers and adventurers (a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and knighted by her in 1585) is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and features him in a typically swashbuckling pose.

That said you can maybe detect a hint of resentment, as up until 2001 the statue was proudly outside Whitehall in the centre of London, but it was downgraded to its present location to make room for a memorial to women who served in the war - more details here.

I guess art imitates life, as Raleigh himself fell out of favour after Elizabeth's death in 1603 and was eventually executed in 1618 to curry favour with the Spanish. The statue was sculpted by William McMillan in 1959 - above right is a photo of it in its original location.
Overall:- 6.5/10

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