Statue Of Robert Baden-Powell (London) on:
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The Statue of Robert Baden-Powell is a
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
carving of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
, at Baden-Powell House in Queen's Gate
Queen's Gate is a street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs south from Kensington Gardens' Queen's Gate (the edge of which gardens are here followed by Kensington Road) to Old Brompton Road, intersecting Cromwell Road.
The street is ...
, South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, 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 ...
, England. The statue was created by the English sculptor Don Potter in 1960 and was installed and unveiled in 1961. It now stands in Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...
, the home of Scouting, following the sale of Baden-Powell House in 2021.
Background
The statue is made from Cornish granite, which is rare because granite is a difficult material to work with. At the time (1961), it was the only granite statue in London. Potter had been involved in the Scouting movement and Baden-Powell had been a patron of his, commissioning carved totem poles from him. The statue is a tallgranite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
sculpture depicting an elderly Baden-Powell, dressed in his Scouting uniform and wearing a cape. Baden-Powell's arms are crossed in front of his waist. His left hand rests upon a walking stick or tree branch; his right hand rests upon his left wrist. His campaign hat is tucked behind his right elbow, the brim held by the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. Below his neckerchief is his Bronze Wolf medal.
The statue was unveiled on 12 July 1961 by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was the third son and fourth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947, the only memb ...
, who was the President of the Scouts. The inscription on the plaque at the sculpture's base reads:
See also
*Scouting memorials
Since the birth and expansion of the Scout movement in the first decade of the 20th century, many Scouting memorials, monuments and gravesites have been erected throughout the world.
Africa
Kenya
* Baden-Powell grave – Wajee Nature Park, Nye ...
* Baden-Powell grave
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baden-Powell, Robert, statue, London 1961 establishments in the United Kingdom 1960 sculptures Granite sculptures in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials in the United Kingdom Outdoor sculptures in the United Kingdom Baden-Powell, Robert Baden-Powell, Robert Scouting monuments and memorials