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40091

The King Edward VII memorial in Centenary Square, Birmingham, England.

In 1910, the Birmingham Mail launched an appeal to erect a statue to Edward VII, in order to commemorate his reign. Over £5,000 was quickly raised and an area was allocated within Birmingham Children's Hospital (then located on Ladywood Road near Five Ways) for its location.

Albert Toft was commissioned to craft the statue but the project immediately ran into problems. The statue was to be over six feet tall, making it difficult to find a large enough piece of Carrara marble for its construction. This problem was overcome and the project was well underway through 1912.

The statue was unveiled in Victoria Square on St George's Day, 23 April 1913 by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. It stood next to a statue of Queen Victoria. However, soon afterwards these statues were criticised as being of "ill matched designs". The statue of Edward VII was eventually moved to Highgate Park when Victoria Square was remodelled in 1951.

The statue was the subject of theft in the 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the theft of Saint George's lance and then the three bronze groups in 1985 and 1986, none of which have been recovered.

Following successful lobbying by the Victorian Society, Birmingham City Council agreed to restore the statue and resite it back in the city centre. On 12 June 2007, the Society launched an appeal fund to contribute towards the programme of works which raised almost £12,000, more than 10% of the final cost of restoration. Work by Cliveden Conservation in Bath began in 2009. A new sceptre and orb capital and the three bronzes (representing, respectively, Peace, Education and Progress, and St George slaying the dragon beneath a stylised crown) were re-made, and the monument reassembled on its original plinth, outside Baskerville House in Centenary Square.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Edward_VII_Memorial

Taken in: UK / England / Brum (show map)

Taken on: December 24, 2018

Tags:

Centenary Square

Westside

West Midlands

Midlands

England

English

United Kingdom

Great Britain

Britain

British

urban

Hall of Memory

Grade I Listed

Grade I Listed Building

W. N. Twist

war memorial

John Barnsley and Son

Prince Arthur of Connaught

memorial

William Bloye « less

Sets appears in: • Westside • West Midlands more » • Broad Street / Centenary Square • Birmingham « less

Groups appears in: • Sculpture • Memorials more » • Sculptures, Statues, and Public Art • Statues and Sculptures. • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • View of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Birmingham. • Midlands Landmarks • A STATUE..PLAQUES • Statues, Sculptures and Urban Art • Flickr Photo Album Unlimited & Instant Posting • A HISTORY « less

Camera: Nikon D7200, f/8.0, 1/500 sec, 44mm (=66mm), ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	44mm (35mm equivalent: 66mm)
ISO:	250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
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