Equestrian statue of William III, Kingston upon Hull

Equestrian statue of William III
Statue in 2010
Artist	Peter Scheemakers
Completion date	1734
Type	Equestrian statue
Medium	Lead with gilding
Subject	William III
Location	Kingston upon Hull
Coordinates	53°44′28″N0°20′01″W / 53.7410°N 0.3335°W / 53.7410; -0.3335
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Statue of King William III and flanking lamps
Designated	13 October 1952
Reference no.	1197697 [1]
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Public Toilets to North of King William III Statue
Designated	21 January 1994
Reference no.	1283102 [2]

The equestrian statue of William III stands in the Market Place, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Dating from 1734, it was created by Peter Scheemakers. The statue is a Grade I listed structure.

History

William III, Prince of Orange, ascended the English throne in 1688 following the overthrow of James II in the Glorious Revolution. William ruled jointly with his wife, Mary, ^[3] James's daughter, until her death in 1694, and then solely until his own death in 1702. ^[4] In the 18th century, it became common for members of the Whig Ascendancy to assert their support for the Protestant Succession, and by implication their opposition to the Jacobite challenge, by commemorating William. ^[5] This approach was adopted in Hull; the statue being erected in 1734 with a dedication to "The memory of King William III our great deliverer". ^[1] The designer was Peter Scheemakers, who was paid £893 and 10 shillings. ^{[a] [7]} At the time of the Glorious Revolution, the city authorities in Hull had been supportive of James II, William's predecessor, but had been usurped by a faction supportive of William. These events were subsequently the subject of annual celebration in Hull, on a day known as the Town Talking Day. ^[8]

The four lamps which stand at the corners of the statue are late-19th century additions. To the north of the statue is an underground public toilet dating from 1900. ^[2] In the 21st century the condition of the statue had deteriorated, in part due to roadworks in the immediate vicinity relating to an upgrade to the A63 road. Hull City Council commissioned a conservation review of the statue's condition ^[9] and it is to be restored and re-gilded in Spring 2026. ^{[b] [11]}

Architecture and description

The sculpture is in gilded lead and depicts William in the style of a Roman senator. It stands on a stone plinth. ^[1] The front of the plinth carries an inscription. The statue is a Grade I listed structure, the highest grading given to buildings and structures of "exceptional interest". ^[1] David Neave, in his Yorkshire: York and the East Riding volume in the Pevsner Buildings of England series, revised and reissued in 2005, describes it as a "fine gilded equestrian statue". ^[7]

Neave is equally appreciative of the public lavatory, "a rare survival of a little-altered Art Nouveau" design with tiling by Burmantofts of Leeds. ^[6] It is a Grade II listed building. ^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Statue and lamps
• 
  Dedicatory plaque
• 
  Elaborate railings around the public convenience
• 
  Setting

See also

• Cultural depictions of William III of England
• Grade I listed buildings in East Riding of Yorkshire

Notes

1. Peter Scheemakers had originally created the statue for Bristol but the burghers of that city rejected it in favour of one by John Michael Rysbrack. ^[6]
2. The statue is the subject of a number of the city's urban myths, some of long standing; among them that the king dismounts his horse at the stroke of midnight and seeks refreshment in the King William public house, and that Scheemakers killed himself when it was pointed out that he had sculpted the king without stirrups. ^[10]

References

1. Historic England. "Statue of King William III and flanking lamps (Grade I) (1197697)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
2. Historic England. "Public Toilets to North of King William III Statue (Grade II) (1283102)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
3. Troost 2005, pp. 207–210.
4. "William III". Westminster Abbey. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
5. "Time takes its toll on King William III's statue". Petersfield Post. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
6. Neave & Neave 2010, p. 110.
7. Pevsner & Neave 2005, p. 540.
8. Young, Angus (29 February 2020). "The hidden story behind Hull's golden King Billy statue from failed invasions to a bloodless coup". Hull Daily Mail . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
9. Madden, Richard (17 September 2024). "'King Billy' statue to be assessed for restoration". BBC News . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
10. Johnson, Paul (21 January 2023). "The chilling truth behind one of Hull's greatest urban myths". Hull Daily Mail . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
11. Harratt, Stuart (2 July 2025). "King Billy statue to undergo restoration work". BBC News . Retrieved 20 July 2025.

Sources

• Neave, David; Neave, Helen (2010). Hull. Pevsner City Guides. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-14172-6.
• Pevsner, Nikolaus; Neave, David (2005). Yorkshire: York and the East Riding. The Buildings of England. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-09593-7.
• Troost, Wout (2005). William III, The Stadholder-king: A Political Biography. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Press. ISBN   978-0-754-65071-3. OCLC   470178112.

External links

• Media related to Equestrian statue of William III, Kingston upon Hull at Wikimedia Commons