Statue of Henry Havelock, Trafalgar Square

Last updated

Statue of Henry Havelock
Statue of Henry Havelock, October 2014 (15555081947).jpg
The statue in 2014
Statue of Henry Havelock, Trafalgar Square
Artist William Behnes
Medium Bronze sculpture
Subject Henry Havelock
Location London, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′28″N0°07′39″W / 51.5079°N 0.1274°W / 51.5079; -0.1274

A bronze statue of Henry Havelock by the sculptor William Behnes, [1] stands in Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom. It occupies one of the four plinths in Trafalgar Square, the one to the southeast of Nelson's Column. [2]

Contents

Description and history

The bronze statue depicts Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB as a standing figure in military uniform, with a cloak. Havelock was born in 1795 and died in 1857. He served in the First Anglo-Burmese War in the 1820s and the First Anglo-Afghan War in the 1840s. He recaptured Cawnpore and Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny in 1857, shortly before he died of dysentery.

The statue was reputedly one of the first statues to be made from a photograph. It was erected by public subscription in 1861, on a granite plinth, matching the statue of General Charles James Napier erected to the west in 1855–1856. [3] A copy in Mowbray Park in Sunderland was also erected by public subscription and unveiled in 1861. [4]

In 1936, it was suggested that the statues of Generals Havelock and Napier in Trafalgar Square should be replaced by statues of Admirals Beatty and Jellicoe, the naval commanders at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, but a place was eventually found for bronze busts of the Edwardian admirals (and later for Admiral Cunningham) against the north wall of the square, without removing the statues of the Victorian generals from their plinths.

The monument became a Grade II listed building in 1970. [5] Trafalgar Square is itself Grade I listed.

In 2000, the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone suggested that the statues of Havelock and General Charles James Napier should be removed from Trafalgar Square, because he had no idea who they were. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trafalgar Square</span> Public square in London, England

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, established in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. The square's name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson's Column</span> Monument in Trafalgar Square, London

Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built to commemorate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish navies, during which he was killed by a French sniper. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian order built from Dartmoor granite. The statue of Nelson was carved from Craigleith sandstone by sculptor Edward Hodges Baily. The four bronze lions around its base, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer, were added in 1867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles James Napier</span> Major General, Governor of Sindh, and Commander-in-Chief in British India (1782-1853)

General Sir Charles James Napier, was an officer and veteran of the British Army's Peninsular and 1812 campaigns, and later a major general of the Bombay Army, during which period he led the British military conquest of Sindh, before serving as the governor of Sindh, and Commander-in-Chief in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Havelock</span> British Army general

Major-General Sir Henry Havelock was a British general who is particularly associated with India and his recapture of Cawnpore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Behnes</span> British sculptor (1795–1864)

William Behnes was a British sculptor of the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Henry Foley</span> Irish sculptor (1818–1874)

John Henry Foley, often referred to as J. H. Foley, was an Irish sculptor, working in London. He is best known for his statues of Daniel O'Connell for the O'Connell Monument in Dublin, and of Prince Albert for the Albert Memorial in London and for a number of works in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mowbray Park</span> Park in Sunderland, United Kingdom

Mowbray Park is a municipal park in the centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, located a few hundred yards from the busy thoroughfares of Holmeside and Fawcett Street and bordered by Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to the north, Burdon Road to the west, Toward Road to the east and Park Road to the south. The park was voted best in Britain in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson</span>

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, during which he was killed. He was responsible for several famous victories that helped to secure British control of the seas, both securing Britain from French invasion and frustrating Napoleon's imperial ambitions. After his death during his defeat of the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar, there was a public outpouring of grief. Nelson was accorded a state funeral and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson's Column, Montreal</span> Monument in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Nelson's Column is a monument, designed by Scottish architect Robert Mitchell and erected in 1809 in Place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which is dedicated to the memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, following his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Subsequent to the destruction of Nelson's Pillar in Dublin (1808–1966), Montreal's pillar now stands as the second-oldest "Nelson's Column" in the world, after the Nelson Monument in Glasgow. It is also the city's oldest monument and is the oldest war monument in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourth plinth</span> Empty plinth on Trafalgar Square, London

The fourth plinth is the northwest plinth in Trafalgar Square in central London. It was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained empty due to lack of funds. For over 150 years, its use was debated; in 1998, the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) commissioned three contemporary sculptures to be displayed temporarily on the plinth. Shortly afterwards, Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, commissioned Sir John Mortimer to seek opinions from public art commissioners, critics and members of the public as to its future. Mortimer's final report recommended that there continue to be a rolling programme of commissioned temporary artworks rather than settle permanently on one figure or idea.

George Gammon Adams was an English portrait sculptor and medallist, noted for his statue of General Charles Napier in Trafalgar Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Charles James Napier, Trafalgar Square</span> Statue in London by George Gammon Adams

A bronze statue of Charles James Napier by the sculptor George Gammon Adams stands in Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom. It occupies one of the four plinths in Trafalgar Square, the one to the southwest of Nelson's Column.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of the Earl Kitchener, London</span> Statue in London, England

The statue of the Earl Kitchener is an outdoor bronze statue by John Tweed depicting Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, installed in 1926 and located on the south side of Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom. The sculpture stands on a Portland stone plinth. It became a Grade II listed building in 1970.

<i>Boadicea and Her Daughters</i> Sculptural group in Westminster, London

Boadicea and Her Daughters is a bronze sculptural group in London representing Boudica, queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe, who led an uprising in Roman Britain. It is located to the north side of the western end of Westminster Bridge, near Portcullis House and Westminster Pier, facing Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster across the road. It is considered the magnum opus of its sculptor, the English artist and engineer Thomas Thornycroft. Thornycroft worked on it from 1856 until shortly before his death in 1885, sometimes assisted by his son William Hamo Thornycroft, but it was not erected in its current position until 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Robert Peel, Parliament Square</span> Sculpture in London by Matthew Noble

The statue of Robert Peel in Parliament Square, London, is a bronze sculpture of Sir Robert Peel, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom. It was sculpted by Matthew Noble and was one of the first three statues to be placed in the square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of James Outram, London</span> Sculpture by Matthew Noble

The statue of James Outram, a work by Matthew Noble, stands in Whitehall Gardens in London, south of Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade II listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Victoria Embankment</span> Statue in London by Carlo Marochetti

A bronze statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, also known as Brunel Monument or the Isambard Brunel Monument, by Carlo Marochetti, stands on the Victoria Embankment in London, England, at the west end of Temple Place. The statue rests on a Portland stone pedestal, with flanking screens and benches, by the architect Richard Norman Shaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of General Gordon</span> Statue by Hamo Thornycroft in London

A bronze statue of General Charles George Gordon by Hamo Thornycroft stands on a stone plinth in the Victoria Embankment Gardens in London. It has been Grade II listed since 1970. A similar statue stands at Gordon Reserve, near Parliament House in Melbourne, Australia, on its original tall plinth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladstone Memorial, London</span> Statue in Westminster, London

The Gladstone Memorial on the Strand, London is a bronze sculpture of the British statesman, created by Hamo Thornycroft between 1899-1905. The statue was erected as the national memorial to Gladstone and shows him in the robes of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The figure stands on a plinth surrounded by allegorical figures depicting four of the Virtues, Courage, Brotherhood, Education and Aspiration. The memorial is a Grade II listed structure.

References

  1. Wheatley, Henry Benjamin; Cunningham, Peter (24 February 2011). London Past and Present: Its History, Associations, and Traditions. Cambridge University Press. p. 405. ISBN   9781108028080. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. "Statues and fountains". Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  3. Havelock statue Archived 27 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine , London Remembers
  4. Monument to Major General Sir Henry Havelock, Public Monuments and Sculpture Association
  5. STATUE OF GENERAL SIR HENRY HAVELOCK Archived 7 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine , National Heritage List for England, Historic England
  6. Old statues given marching orders . . . by the Left Archived 27 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine , The Telegraph, 20 October 2000