The Statue of Horatio Nelson by

Richard Westmacott Sir Richard Westmacott (15 July 17751 September 1856) was a British sculptor. Life and career Westmacott studied with his father, also named Richard Westmacott (the elder), Richard Westmacott, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor ...

, RA (1775–1856) stands in the Bull Ring,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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This bronze statue was the first publicly funded statue in Birmingham, and the first statue of

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

in Britain. It was made in 1809 by

public subscription Subscription refers to the process of investors signing up and committing to invest in a financial instrument, before the actual closing of the purchase. The term comes from the Latin word ''subscribere''. Historical Praenumeration An early form ...

of £2,500 by the people of

following Nelson's visit to the town on 31 August 1802, the year before he sailed against the fleets of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. The statue was unveiled on 25 October 1809, that being the day decreed as the official

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Description

Nelson stands in

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

, with his one arm resting on an anchor with the prow of a miniature ship:

HMS Victory HMS ''Victory'' is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is best known for her role as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. She ...

. Upon the ship is the ''Flag Staff Truck'' (part of the mast) of the

French ship Orient (1791) ''Orient'' was an 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, famous for her role as flagship of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798, and for her spectacular destruction that day when her magazine exploded. The event was ...

, flagship of the French fleet, sunk at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...

. It originally stood on a cylindrical marble

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

carved with the people of Birmingham, surrounded by iron railings with lanterns standing on up-ended cannon at each corner. The statue was originally erected on the site of the Old Cross, a two storey building (a meeting hall over an open space), built in 1703 and demolished in August 1784. It stood outside the Market Hall (opened adjacent to it in 1835). Since 25 April 1952 it has had Grade II* listed status. A related statue was constructed in

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Island ...

, Barbados, in 1813. Like the Birmingham statue, it was also sculpted by Westmacott, and based on the same design. The statue was moved in 1961 during the first redevelopment of the Bull Ring and the carved plinth, cannon and lanterns lost. After the recent redevelopment has returned close to its original location north of the church. It stands on the high balcony between the Bullring shopping centre and the new Selfridges store. Nelson now looks again over the church of

St Martin in the Bull Ring St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Church of England parish church in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is the original parish church of Birmingham and stands between the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the markets. The church is ...

. He now stands on a plain plinth, surrounded by iron railings linked by iron rope. These railings were the original railings, but were delayed from being installed by objections on the grounds of Health & Safety from the Bullring. However, the railings were restored in September 2005, just in time for the Trafalgar Bicentenary celebrations which centred on the statue. The statue forms the centrepiece of Birmingham's annual

Trafalgar Day Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by the Royal Navy, commanded by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. History The formation of the Navy Lea ...

commemoration. In 2009, to mark the 200th anniversary of the statue's unveiling, a medal was struck by St Paul's Mint of Birmingham.

Criticism

Following the

Rhodes Must Fall Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and ...

campaign in South Africa and the removal of confederate monuments in the United States, statues of Nelson faced criticism. British broadcaster

Afua Hirsch Afua Hirsch (born 1981) is a British writer and broadcaster. She has worked as a journalist for '' The Guardian'' newspaper, and was the Social Affairs and Education Editor for Sky News from 2014 until 2017. Early life Afua Hirsch was born in ...

drew attention to Nelson's ardent support for

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

and

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Hirsch hosted the documentary 'The Battle For Britain's Heroes'. In November 2017, the statue of Nelson in Barbados, which is based on the Birmingham design, was defaced and a sign attached describing Nelson as a "racist white supremacist." At present, the Birmingham statue includes a short biography of Nelson, but does not mention the issues of slavery or colonialism.

References

*''Solid Citizens – Statues in Birmingham'', Bridget Pugh and Anne Irby Crews, 1983, Westwood Press, Sutton Coldfield, *''Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield'', George T. Noszlopy, edited Jeremy Beach, 1998, *''A History of Birmingham'', Chris Upton, 1993, {{DEFAULTSORT:Statue of Horatio Nelson, Birmingham Outdoor sculptures in England History of Birmingham, West Midlands Grade II* listed buildings in Birmingham 1809 sculptures Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom Statues in England Grade II* listed monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in Birmingham, West Midlands Sculptures by Richard Westmacott Sculptures in Birmingham, West Midlands Vandalized works of art in the United Kingdom