*MANCHESTER* - John Dalton (1766-1844)

Inscription:- "John Dalton. A Cumberland man worked in Manchester from 1792 until his death. He made many advances in meteorology, the physics and chemistry of gases and the theory of combustion. He is remembered above all else for his concept of atomic theory and atomic weights published in his 'New System of Chemical Philosophy'. 1808-1810.
These stones formed part of the memorial to John Dalton at Ardwick Cemetery and were moved here when the building of the College began in 1961."
Sculptor:- William Theed - made from bronze, on a sandstone pedestal.
Unveiled:- 26th July, 1855.
Notes:- originally located in Piccadilly Gardens, the statue was moved on 12th May, 1966 to outside Manchester Metropolitan University; estimated cost £900; Grade II listed; this was a copy of the earlier marble statue by Francis Chantrey which is inside the entrance to Manchester Town Hall.

Overall:- 6/10

*MANCHESTER* - James Fraser (1818-1885)

Inscription:- "James Fraser D.D. Bishop of Manchester 1870-1885 - Born 18th August 1818 - Died 22nd October 1885 - Erected by Public Subscription 1887."
Sculptor:- Thomas Woolner - made from bronze, on a granite pedestal.
Unveiled:- 14th April 1888, by Mayor James Harwood.
Notes:- paid for by public subscription (full amount raised £3,946, actual cost was £3,250); Grade II listed.

The pedestal has three relief panels apparently showing Fraser in his role as bishop, citizen and charity worker:-

Overall:- 6.5/10

*LONDON* - Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (1765-1802)

Inscription:- "Francis Duke of Bedford. Erected MDCCCIX."
Sculptor:- Richard Westmacott - made from bronze, on a granite pedestal.
Unveiled:- 3rd August, 1809.
Notes:- the figure is dressed as a Roman, holding corn in one hand and resting his other on a plough; Grade II listed (1951); located at the south end of Russell Square, looking down Bedford Place to the Charles James Fox statue (previous entry), who the Duke had close connections with; images of the pedestal figures (sheep and cherubs representing the four seasons) can be found on The Victorian Web here.

Overall:- 7.5/10

*LONDON* - Charles James Fox (1749-1806)

Inscription:- "Charles James Fox - Erected MDCCCXVI."
Sculptor:- Richard Westmacott - made from bronze, on a granite pedestal.
Unveiled:- 1816.
Notes:- the statue is located at the North end of Bloomsbury Square; Grade II listed monument (1951); the figure is dressed in a robe and sandals, holding the Magna Carta; more about Fox on Wikipedia here.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*LIVERPOOL* - William Gladstone (1809-1898)

Inscription:- "Born in Liverpool, 29th December 1809 - Died at Hawarden, Wales, 19th May 1898. Buried in Westminster Abbey."
Sculptor:- Sir Thomas Brock - made from bronze, on a granite pedestal.
Unveiled:- 1904.
Notes:- the two winged, female figures represent Truth and Justice; Grade II listed monument (1975); one of numerous statues in St John's Gardens.

Figure representing Justice:-

A small relief on the back depicts Brotherhood and has an Official shaking hands with a labourer:-

Figure representing Truth:-

Overall:- 8/10 (points mainly for the foxy chicks)

*LONDON* - Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Inscription:- can be read here.
Sculptor:- Ian Walters - made from bronze.
Unveiled:- 28th October, 1985 by Oliver Tambo, president of the ANC.
Notes:- commissioned by Ken Livingstone when he was leader of the GLC; re-erected in 1988 on a higher plinth, after the original fibreglass version was destroyed by fire in a racist-fuelled attack; erected when Mandela was in prison and still considered a terrorist by many (Margaret Thatcher replied 'No' when asked in the House of Commons if she planned to visit the sculpture); there is a rather nifty animated 3D picture of the bust here.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*LIVERPOOL* - Sir John & Cecil Moores

Inscription:- "Freeman Sir John Moores, Founder, & Mr Cecil Moores, Director, of the Littlewoods Organisation"
Sculptor:- Tom Murphy - made from bronze.
Unveiled:- 1996, by the sons of the brothers (details here).
Notes:- looking at the photo of the unveiling on the link above, the statue was originally on a pedestal, but after being moved to make way for some regeneration work, the two figures are now at street level, with a silver band around them which bears the inscription on it.

Overall:- 6/10

*CHESTER* - Janya the Elephant

Inscription:- full inscription can be found on the Waymarking website here.
Sculptor:- Annette Yarrow - made from bronze; 3.3ft tall.
Unveiled:- March 2010.
Notes:- a gift from Chester Zoo; the name Janya (which means 'life in Hindu) was chosen by the people of the city.

The statue is incredibly lifelike and from a distance you might easily believe a baby Indian elephant was roaming the streets Jumanji style.

Overall:- 8.5/10

*DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN* - Sir Hall Caine (1853-1931)

Inscription:- "Sir Hall Caine C.H., K.B.E., M.H.K., Freeman of Douglas Manx Author 1853 ~ 1931"
Sculptor:- Bryan Kneale.
Unveiled:- TBC.
Notes:- bronze; paid for by money from the estate of his son, actor and MP Derwent Hall Caine; located in Summerhill Gardens at the northern end of Douglas promenade.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*WEYMOUTH* - George III (1738-1820)

Inscription:- "The grateful inhabitants to GEORGE THE THIRD on his entering the 50th year of his REIGN."
Sculptor:- designed by the architect James Hamilton, although the work itself probably carried out by one Mr Sealy who worked for the company Coade and Sealy.
Unveiled:- 1810 (foundation stone laid 1809).
Notes:- Grade I Listed monument; it looks extra shiny/garish as it was given a big makeover in 2008; important enough to have its own Wikipedia page.

Either side of the massive piece of stone which the statue is on, are a unicorn and a lion which both look resplendent and add even more to the garish tone.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*WEYMOUTH* - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

Inscription:- "This memorial erected by public subscription was unveiled by H.R.H. Princess Beatrice (Princess Henry of Battenberg)  October 20th 1902. John Bragg - Mayor. Richard Nicholas Howard - Town Clerk."
Sculptor:- most websites don't mention the sculptor, but seems to be attributed to George Blackall Simonds (1843-1929); made from bronze.
Unveiled:- 1902.
Notes:- Grade II Listed monument; St John's Church is in the background.

Overall:- 7.5/10

*WEYMOUTH* - Sir Henry Edwards (1820-1897)

Had a couple of days in Weymouth which was a fantastic place - one of the best seaside resorts in Britain I've been to. The town is steeped in history so there were quite a few statues dotted around, including this one, which was rather inconveniently placed in the middle of the road (below is a more panoramic view which I found online).

Inscription:- "Erected by public subscription AD 1885 to perpetuate the memory of the public services, munificent charity and private worth of Sir Henry Edwards M.P. one of the representatives of Weymouth & Melcombe-Regis in the House of Commons from 1867 to 1885, when the town ceased to be a parliamentary borough."
Sculptor:- unknown; made from white marble.
Unveiled:- 13th January 1886.
Notes:- situated in Alexandra Gardens on the seafront, the statue was erected during the subject's lifetime.

Overall:- 7/10

*DORCHESTER* - The Dorset Shepherd

Inscription:- "This sculpture, The Dorset Shepherd, is a tribute to the quiet heroism and wisdom of pastoralists and cultivators who provide inspiration for the literary tradition associated with Dorchester. It was commissioned to mark the year 2000 by Henry Ling Limited, printers in Dorchester since 1804."
Sculptor:- John Doubleday - made from bronze.
Unveiled:- 2000.
Notes:- Inspired by the poem 'The Shepherd O' the Farm' by William Barnes.

Overall:- 6/10

*DORCHESTER* - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

It's fair to say that Thomas Hardy is widely considered to be one of England's greatest authors and bearing in mind he lived in (or around) Dorchester for the first 22 years of his life, not surprisingly he features prominently on any visit to the town. That said this very grand statue of him is rather surprisingly located away from the main centre, overlooking a busy roundabout at the top of the High St and is probably missed by quite a few visitors. Apparently there has been talk of possibly relocating it, but to be fair I think statues are best left where they were originally placed.

The sculptor was Eric Kennington and it was unveiled on the 2nd September 1931 by author J.M. Barrie (he of Peter Pan fame) - further information, including a video of the unveiling itself, can be found here.

I remember reading a couple of Hardy's novels when I did English 'A' level - Tess of the d'Urbervilles which was good, but also Return of the Native which was impossible to understand for a spotty 17-year old. A few years ago I also read Under the Greenwood Tree which was OK, but didn't change my opinion that Hardy is a bit over-rated.

Back to the statue, which is impressive in a stately kind of way, mainly because of the large pedestal. It's not exactly a dynamic piece of work, but certainly conveys the reverence in which Hardy is held in the local area.

Overall:- 7.5/10