A statue of Oliver Cromwell stands on Market Hill in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a sculpture of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

of the

Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. The statue was designed by

F. W. Pomeroy Frederick William Pomeroy (9 October 1856 – 26 May 1924) was a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works. He became a leading sculptor in the New Sculpture movement, a group distinguished by a stylistic turn towards na ...

and erected in 1901. The statue is one of five public statues of Cromwell in the United Kingdom and is

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed for its architectural merit.

Description and history

The statue was sculpted by

, and features Cromwell standing and pointing. The statue is approached by three steps of Aberdeen granite, with ornamental lamps on each corner. The location of the statue in the market place in St Ives had been proposed by the historian

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

in an 1849 letter. Carlyle wrote to I.K. Holland that: In 1899 the nearby town of

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

abandoned their plan to erect a statue to Cromwell, and the opportunity was seized by St Ives.

was commissioned as the sculptor, and the statue was exhibited at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in London to good reviews. It is the only statue of Cromwell in England that was funded by public donations. The statue has been described as the "...second most visited and photographed monument" in St Ives after the town's

bridge chapel A bridge chapel is a small place of Christianity, Christian worship, built either on, or immediately adjacent to, a road bridge; they were commonly established during pre-Reformation medieval era in Europe. Although sometimes built on land at the ...

on the St Ives Bridge dedicated to St Ledger. The statue was unveiled on 23 October 1901 by the Liberal politician Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Statue of Oliver Cromwell, St Ives, Cambridgeshire 1901 establishments in England 1901 sculptures Bronze sculptures in England Oliver Cromwell Outdoor sculptures in England Cromwell, Oliver Cromwell, Oliver, St Ives Grade II listed buildings in Cambridgeshire Monuments and memorials in Cambridgeshire St Ives, Cambridgeshire Sculptures of books

Description and history

See also

References

External links