A bronze statue of

Charles James Napier General Sir Charles James Napier, (; 10 August 178229 August 1853) 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 military conquest of ...

by the sculptor

George Gammon Adams George Gammon Adams (1821–1898; sometimes spelled George Gamon Adams or George Gannon Adams) was an English portrait sculptor and medallist,

stands in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, United Kingdom. It occupies one of the four plinths in Trafalgar Square, the one to the southwest of Nelson's Column.

Background

General Sir

GCB (not to be confused with his cousin and close contemporary, the Admiral Charles John Napier) was born in 1782 and died in 1853, 19 days after his 71st birthday. He was an officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and served in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, and later in India. In 1843 he captured

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and was made its first Governor, holding the post until his first return to England in October 1847. In 1849 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in India and held the post until February 1851, when he returned again to England and retired. Napier was chief of troops in the north of England between 1839 and 1841, during the early Chartist protests against low wages and poor conditions in Britain's factories. Although Napier's diaries show some sympathy with the Chartists' demands, he was responsible for using his troops to suppress the protests.

Description and history

The bronze sculpture stands on a tall granite pedestal, creating a monument about high. Napier is depicted standing, bareheaded, wearing military uniform with a cloak. He holds up his scabbard in his left hand, with a scroll in his right hand symbolising his governorship of Sind. It was erected in 1855–6 by means of public subscriptions, the most numerous contributors being private soldiers. It bears an inscription stating that Napier was "born in MDCCLXXXII and died LXXI years later in MDCCCLIII". It was quickly criticised as being one of the worst pieces of sculpture in England. A similar marble statue of Napier, also by George Gammon Adams, stands in the Crypt of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, with Napier similarly in uniform and bearheaded, with his right hand resting on his sword and his left hand on his hip holding a scroll. In 1936 it was suggested that the statues of Generals Napier and Havelock in Trafalgar Square should be replaced by statues of Admirals Beatty and Jellicoe, the naval commanders at the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

in 1916, but a place was eventually found for bronze busts of the Edwardian admirals (and later for

Admiral Cunningham Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, (7 January 1883 – 12 June 1963) was a senior officer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was widely known by his initials, "ABC". Cunningham ...

) against the north wall of the square, without removing the statues of the Victorian generals from their plinths. It became a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1970. Trafalgar Square is itself Grade I listed. In October 2000 the then Mayor of London

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...

suggested that the statues of Napier and Havelock should be removed from Trafalgar Square, because he didn't have any idea who they were.Old statues given marching orders . . . by the Left
, The Telegraph, 20 October 2000

References

External links

General Charles James Napier – Trafalgar Square, London, UK
at Waymarking {{Portal bar, British Empire, London, United Kingdom, Visual arts Bronze sculptures in the City of Westminster Napier, Charles James Monuments and memorials in London Outdoor sculptures in London Napier, Charles James Trafalgar Square