*POOLE* - Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941)

I'm quite a fan of these statues where the subject is in a more natural setting so that people can get up close and personal, so to speak. This one of Robert Baden-Powell (British soldier who founded the Scouts) is right on the promenade in Poole. The town has close connections with the Scouts, as it was on Brownsea Island in Poole harbour that Baden-Powell set up the first Boy Scouts camp in 1907 to test his theories and ideas for the movement as a whole.

Information on the plaque tells us that the sculptor was David Annand and the statue was unveiled on the 13th August 2008 by James Gibson Fleming, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset. According to some further information here, it took 10 months to complete, weighs 200kg and cost £35,000.

Overall:- 8/10

*BOURNEMOUTH* - Lewis Tregonwell (1758-1832) & C.C. Creeke (1820-1886)

I found this statue, carved from stone, whilst walking through the drab town centre of Bournemouth. Its of Captain Lewis Tregonwell who is credited with founding the town in 1810, before which it was just a deserted section of coast, popular with smugglers.

There is detailed info about the statue here on the waymarking.com website, which mentions that it 'features the three local holders of the Victoria Cross'. Looking closely at the roll of parchment that Tregonwell is holding, there appears to be three names, which must be the medal winners in question. The sculptor was Jonathan Sells (who is local to the area and has his own website) and it was unveiled in the late 1990's.

When I saw the statue the inscription only showed the above, but on the waymarking site there is a picture showing much more information so it looks like the statue is being slowly buried (not very respectful to the town's founder!) - the full inscription is here.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that there is another chap mentioned on the plaque, namely a C.C. Creeke who was Bournemouth's first town surveyor. If you look round the other side of the statue, there is another figure moulded onto Tregonwell's back in a slightly weird sci-fi hybrid fashion. This definitely makes the entire work a bit bizarre to me and whatever the reasoning for constructing it in this fashion, it doesn't work.

You don't find many sculptures made from stone these days, so its a pity that this one just comes across as too cobbled together - Creeke didn't even arrive in Bournemouth until nearly 20 years after Tregonwell died, so having them joined so closely has no historical relevance either.

Overall: 4.5/10

*CHICHESTER* - St. Richard (1197-1253)

On a recent trip to the south coast I visited Chichester on a rather grey Sunday morning and came across this statue of St Richard in the grounds of the cathedral.

The sculptor is Philip Jackson who has done quite a lot of the more recent public statues in the UK - a full list of his stuff can be found on his website. This one was unveiled in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebrations - below is a photo of the slab on the ground in front of the statue which gives the details.

The statue is imposing enough, but it reminds me a bit too much of Max Schreck in the early German film Nosferatu, and I'd be very wary of his saintly charms if he looked like this.

There is also an inscription on the pedestal (below), which emphasises the religious aspects with lots of humble thanks being given as usual (one of the many things which puts me off religion).

 Overall:- 6/10

Update:- I had another day trip to Chichester in August 2015, hoping there would be some more statues in such an historic city. Unfortunately after wandering down every side street all afternoon I didn't find any, so I had to make do with another shot of St Richard which shows the cathedral setting a bit better.

*LIVERPOOL* - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

This was an impressive statue of a young-looking Queen Victoria in front of St George's Hall in Liverpool (just round from the gardens where the previous two entries were). The inscription on the plinth (below) states, "Erected by the Corporation of Liverpool in the thirty-fourth year of her reign."

She came to the throne in 1837 and the statue was unveiled in 1870 (some sources give a date of 1869 which was presumably the completion) - more details here. The man behind the work was Thomas Thornycroft, who had done a similar work for the Great Exhibition some years earlier.

At a guess there must be more statues of Queen Victoria than anyone else - definitely in the UK, but probably in the world bearing in mind she reigned throughout the glory years of the British Empire. The sheer size of this piece has impact but otherwise it is a touch ordinary (dare I say bland) but at least it has a more sprightly image of Victoria, rather than the dour seated image we are more used to.

Overall:- 7/10

*LIVERPOOL* - Alexander Balfour (1824-1886)

Also in St John's Gardens is this statue of another public benefactor from the 19th century, who used some of his hard-earned cash to help those less fortunate than himself (some kind of early tax dodge no doubt).

Alexander Balfour was a Scottish businessman who moved to Liverpool when he was aged 20 and formed a shipping company a few years later. The carving on the base of the statue reads:-

"Merchant and shipowner

Born 2nd September 1824. Died 16th April 1886

His life was devoted to God in noble and munificent efforts for the benefit of sailors, the education of the people and the promotion of all good works. This statue, erected by public subscription, was unveiled on the 15th day of November 1889."

The sculptor was Albert Bruce-Joy and more information on it can be found here - not sure how accurate this page is though, as it gives the date 1905 for the statue, but the inscription says 1889 (unless my eyes deceive me - the photo is a bit blurry).

Overall:- 6.5/10

*LIVERPOOL* - Thomas Major Lester (1829-1903)

This is one of quite a few statues in St John's Gardens in Liverpool, just down from Lime Street railway station. It's in memory of T. Major Lester who founded a charity which set up lots of schools to help children. The statue was put up in 1907 and has a benevolent looking Lester, holding a suitably bedraggled child.

On the far side of the plinth is an inscription which reads:-

"He was a pioneer in opening homes and schools where destitute children could be fed, clothed, educated and started in life, and worked enthusiastically for them to the end of his days."

The sculptor was George Frampton - more details about the work can be found here. There is also a picture of pupils at one of his schools and his gravestone on the Liverpool Schools website.

Overall:- 6/10

*NOTTINGHAM* - Brian Clough (1935-2004)

After Alex Ferguson, I reckon that Brian Clough can probably be considered the 2nd best football manager ever (in England) and it was his achievements with Nottingham Forest which earn him this lofty status. He won the league with them in 1978 and then back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, managing them in total for an incredible 18 years (mind you, Fergie did 26 years at Man Utd).

This statue is in Nottingham town centre and was unveiled on 6th November 2008 by Clough's widow (he died in 2004 aged 69) - specific info about the unveiling ceremony can be found here, including a video of the unveiling itself (scroll right down to the bottom). It was chosen from a shortlist of three by a selection panel earlier in the year, the winning design by Les Johnson made into an 8ft tall bronze statue that cost £70,000. On the whole it's fine, but I'm not a great fan of the hands above the head pose which seems a bit too self-congratulatory, bearing in mind Clough seemed very down to earth.

That said, it still does a decent job of recognising a true footballing legend - below is a Google streetview image showing the road down which the statue faces.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*EDWINSTOWE* - Robin Hood & Maid Marian

The third and final Robin Hood statue I saw on my mini-tour of Sherwood Forest was this one which is on the pavement in Edwinstowe town centre, not far from St Mary's Church where, according to some of the tales, Robin Hood married Maid Marian.

The rugged image of Robin has given way to a wimpy looking character, accompanied by a rather insipid, skinny looking Maid Marian. They both look like gawky teenagers to me and the statue doesn't conjure up any great romantic ideals or heroic themes.

Despite the vintage look this is a modern statue by Neale Andrew - the full inscription on the wet-looking plaque (it had been raining on the day of my visit) is:-

Robin Hood & Maid Marian

By Neale Andrew, A.R.B.S.

Unveiled on 23 July 1998

Councillor Chris Winterton

Nottinghamshire County Council

Regenerating Communities

Incidentally Neale Andrew did a commission for another Robin Hood statue a few years earlier for Doncaster airport (unveiling info here) which has more action to it and further highlights the drabness of this effort which didn't fill me with awe.

Overall:- 4.5/10

*SHERWOOD FOREST* - Robin Hood

Also at the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre very close to the statue in the previous post, is this classic image of Robin Hood, standing tall in the forest, bow in hand. It's located off the path in the middle of some greenery and is very lifelike, particularly if you view it with nothing but forest behind (see below).

There was no visible info about this classic statue but after a quick Google search I found on this page the following:- "at the nearby Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre there is a fibreglass statue of Robin fighting Little John on a bridge; and there is also a more recent one of Robin firing his bow – formerly a central feature of the food court at the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village, off junction 28 of the M1."

So this used to be at a food court in a shopping center (this one I think). Getting moved to Sherwood Forest from here must have been like a killer whale getting rescued from an aquapark and released back in the Arctic Ocean.

Whatever its origins this is a fantastic statue, capturing the essence of the Robin Hood character and making him look suitably macho (he tends to be a bit camp in some TV and film depictions - all that sleeping around in the forest with his merry men).

Overall:- 8.5/10

*SHERWOOD FOREST* - Robin Hood & Little John

This action statue was at the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre near Edwinstowe and features Robin Hood and Little John when they first meet and battle with their quarterstaff's on a bridge (the actual title on the plaque below is straight and to the point). It was unveiled in 1988 and the sculptor was Graham Ibbeson.

According to legend Little John won the fight but still decided to join Robin's band of merry men, becoming his right-hand man. The battle was a long and bruising encounter, as can be seen in this clip from Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Overall:- 7/10
 

Update:- I've found another photo of this statue on the internet with the two characters in colour. Not sure if it's the exact same statue or a replica in a different place, but either way here it is in all its glory...... 

*RUFFORD ABBEY, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE* - Oil Drilling Engineer

Had a midweek break to Sherwood Forest recently and went to visit Rufford Abbey which is a semi-derelict manor house set in a country park.

Whilst wandering round the large gardens I came across this statue of an engineer holding a massive wrench which seemed slightly out of place and had no information about it at all. I looked on all the websites about Rufford but found nothing and I was just about to give up when I decided to google 'rufford park statue of workman' as a last resort....

.... lo and behold I got directed to a blog which had specific details about the statue and its history - all the info here. The fact the statue was relocated to Rufford explains the lack of any plaque and looking at a picture of it in the original setting (right) at the Dukes Wood Museum, there obviously used to be some further details.

So it turns out that there was a secret WW2 oil field in the Midlands at a place called Eakring and this beefy workman was to commemorate all the gallons of oil which helped the war effort - more details (also from the blog yorkshireladsworld which I think deserves another mention as they did all the hard work for me) can be found here.

Overall:- 6.5/10

*RHODES* - unknown

This is the third and final statue from Rhodes and, without wanting to end on a down note, I can't unfortunately work out who this one is of.

The inscription below is just a bit too blurred to make out precisely and foolishly I didn't take a close-up photo (it was a hot day and I was suffering from sunstroke by this time). As can be seen its a half-length bust of an oldish bloke in full military regalia so is presumably an army general or a prime minister.

Hopefully I'll find out more information about him in due course - he was located along the same stretch of promenade as the previous two statues just up from the main Rhodes harbour.

Overall:- 6/10

*RHODES* - Alexandros Diakos (1907-1940)

This was another statue in Rhodes which after more Google translating I've finally identified as a Lieutenant in the Greek army who was one of the first to be killed in the Second World War.

Greece became involved in WW2 after Italy declared war in October 1940, the conflict going the way of Greece who advanced to occupy some of Albania, until Germany intervened 6 months later. Despite being less well-known than many conflicts in the war, this marked the first time that the Allies gained a land victory against the Axis forces and it not only tied up German forces who had to rescue the situation, but also proved good for morale across all of the Allies.

Diakos was killed on or around the 1st November and the statue conveys lots of national pride combined with strength and resistance. Apologies for the three pigeons which are slightly spoiling the effect and for the tourist thoughtlessly wandering across the shot (that said at least he gives the statue some scale).

Overall:- 6/10

*RHODES* - Stelios Kotiadis (1912-1971)

I saw this bust of a rather dour looking politician-type when I was on holiday in Rhodes. It was in some gardens near the ferry port and I assumed it was a Greek Prime Minister or similar and would be quite easy to identify, but despite loads of searching no one obvious came up.

Finally after using Google translate and copy and pasting each individual Greek letter from the inscription on the statue, I managed to come up with the name Stelios Kotiadis and after another search, also found this article from a Greek newspaper.

The translation is basic to say the least but the article is dated 2011 and begins with:- 'The unveiling of the bust of Stelios Kotiadis made forty years after his untimely and unexpected death.' This ties in with the dates 1912-1971 so I think we have found our man and it seems Stelios was an MP and Dodecanese Minister.

Can't find anything else about him so he can't have been much of a big shot and the bust itself is basic and not very inspiring to say the least (the weather was sunny though). Below is it's exact location taken from Google street-view.

Overall:- 3/10

*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

*LONDON* - Imperial Camel Corps

This was another statue in the gardens by the Embankment in London - more info here.

The whole thing is quite small (approx. 1.8 metres) but very detailed and the camel really makes it stand out. It was unveiled on the 22nd July 1921 and lists the engagements which the Camel Corps took part in during WW1 and the men who were killed in action. This is Lawrence of Arabia territory, although I'm not sure if he served in the Corps himself, but I remember the battle scenes in the film, with Peter O'Toole charging the enemy on a camel.

The sculptor was Major Cecil Brown who was a member of the squadron - to the right is a close-up of the inscription on the other side of the plinth which the statue stands on.

Although its very early days in my statue blogging career, this one takes an early lead as my favourite so far (despite strictly speaking, being more of a memorial). There is further information on the UK Imperial War Museums website which goes into lots of specific detail.

Bearing in mind the Camel Corps statue is in the same gardens as the Arthur Sullivan one below, I won't repeat the Google map image. Instead here is the normal map version (rather than the satellite view), just to keep things exciting.

Overall:- 9/10

 

Update:- I paid another visit to these gardens in April 2015 to take some pictures of the other statues. It was a bright sunny day and the Camel Corps one was looking good, so I took an arty shot from a low angle which hopefully shows the soldier and his trusty camel in all their glory.