The Statue of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount 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, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor Square in London before going to R ...

stands in the Bull Ring,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England.

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

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

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 (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

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

Golden Jubilee of George III The Golden Jubilee of George III, also known as the Grand National Jubilee, on 25 October 1809 marked 49 years of King George III's accession to the British and Irish thrones, and his entrance into the 50th year of his reign. It was the first o ...

Description

Nelson stands in

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

, 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 wooden sailing ship of the line. With years of service as of , she is the world's List of oldest surviving ships, oldest naval vessel still in Ship commissioning, commission. She was ordered for the Roy ...

. 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 best known for her role as flagship of Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers' fleet at the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798, and for her spectacular destruction that d ...

, 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; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...

. It originally stood on a cylindrical marble

plinth A pedestal 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 civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

carved with the people of Birmingham, surrounded by iron railings with lanterns standing on upended 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 A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...

(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 city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

, 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 it has returned close to its original location north of the church. It stands on the high balcony between the Bullring shopping centre and the 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 Le ...

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

References

Sources

*''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 Lord Nelson, Birmingham Outdoor sculptures in Birmingham, West Midlands History of Birmingham, West Midlands Grade II* listed buildings in Birmingham 1809 sculptures Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson Bronze sculptures in England Statues in England Grade II* listed monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in Birmingham, West Midlands Sculptures by Richard Westmacott Vandalized works of art in the United Kingdom