A statue of Oliver Cromwell stands on Bridge Street in

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

in Cheshire, England. It is a sculpture of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

, Lord Protector of the

Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

. The statue was designed by John Bell and erected in 1899. The statue is one of four public statues of Cromwell in the United Kingdom and has been Grade II listed since September 1973 for its architectural merit.

Description and history

The statue was made by the London sculptor John Bell and was originally displayed at the 1862 London Exhibition, where it stood at the centre of a fountain. It was presented to the town in 1899 by local councilor Frederick Monks to mark the 300th anniversary of Cromwell's birth. It stands in front of

Warrington Academy Warrington Academy, active as a teaching establishment from 1756 to 1782, was a prominent dissenting academy, that is, a school or college set up by those who dissented from the established Church of England. It was located in Warrington (then ...

, and consists of a standing iron figure on a square

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 ...

with a sword and bible. Cromwell is shown without his hat. It is inscribed with "Cromwell" as a signature. There was opposition to the statue from the local Irish community. In a letter to the council in January 1899 Monks stated that: The acceptance and erection of the statue was vigorously debated by Warrington Town Council.

References

*{{Citation , last1 =Pollard, first1 =Richard , last2 = Pevsner , first2 = Nikolaus , author2-link =Nikolaus Pevsner, series= The Buildings of England, title =Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West , publisher =

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, year =2006 , location =New Haven and London , isbn =0-300-10910-5 1899 establishments in England 1862 sculptures

Oliver Cromwell Outdoor sculptures in England Cromwell, Oliver Monuments and memorials in Cheshire Cromwell, Oliver, Warrington Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire Listed buildings in Warrington Cast-iron sculptures Books in art

Description and history

See also

References