Cast in Stone

How to cite this page Comment citer cette page

Items

• 1834, Erection of Anti-Slavery Arch in Stroud
• 1844, Relocation of the Blackboy Clock to Castle Street
  Paul Hawkins Fisher described the relocation of the clock in Notes and Recollections of Stroud (1871): "But, on the erection of the National School at the entrance of Castle-Street, in the year 1844, the clock and Black Boy, with his club and bell, were bought by subscription, and set up against the building. There the Boy has stood ever since, doing the duty of turning his head, lifting his club, and striking the hours of day and night as often as they come round; and there, it is hoped, he will for many years continue to perform his automatic exercises, to the wonder of strangers passing by, as he did to the admiration of boys and girls of old. But it has thereby come to pass that the identity, if not the very existence of the school, has been well-nigh lost in that of the Black Boy himself; inasmuch as a little girl being asked, “What school do you go to?” replied, “Please ma’am, I go to the Black Boy”; and this is the answer that all the children would give to the same question – “Please ma’am, I go to the Black Boy.” Indeed, it has been whispered that some high and grave authorities, whose duties often lead them to the Black Boy, call the school by the same name, to the great dismay of the purists in nomenclature, who prefer its less equivocal and , not doubt more accurate appellation of The School, (or the National School,) in Castle-street."
• 1847, Unveiling of the William Huskisson statue in Liverpool
• 1857, Meeting to plan a memorial to Lord Clive
  Several British politicians and public figures met in Princess's Hall, London, on the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Plassey, to plan the creation of a memorial to Lord Clive. It was decided to form a committee to raise subscriptions to support the erection of a statue in a prominent location in Shrewsbury. During the meeting, Earl Stanhope said, 'That, inasmuch as the services of the great Lord Clive, the founder of the British Empire in the East, have not been commemmorated by any public monument, it is in the opinion of this meeting (assembled on the 100th anniversary of the victory of Plassy) desirable to record the national gratitude for those services by erecting a statue on some conspicuous site in Shrewsbury, the chief town of Lord Clive's native county.' Lord Dungannon noted that the aims of this activity was to honour of the virtues of the dead, as well as to 'excite the moral principles of the rising generation.' Expressing a vision of benevolent and paternalist empire, Mr Campbell Paterson noted that the 'defection' in the Indian army had been caused by a departure from Clive's own principles; that Indian soldiers should be treated with kindness rather than severity. A committee was formed consisting of the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Shropshire, the President of the India Board, the Chairman of the East India Company, the members for Shrewsbury, the Duke of Cleveland, the Earl of Stanhope, Viscount Dungannon, Sir Robert Vivian, Sir Lawrence Peel, Sir James Hogg, Mr. W.B. Bagley, the Mayor of Shrewsbury, and the Rev. B.H. Kennedy D.D.
• 1860, Statue of Robert Clive unveiled at Shrewsbury
  At the inauguration of the statue of Robert Clive in Shrewsbury Market Square, several colonial officials who had played active roles in the Indian rebellion of 1857 gave emotional speeches. Herbert Edwardes gave as speech summarising his career, not omitting his conspiracies and his psychological disturbances, but concluded that in this career, there was 'much to honour, much to admire, much of which Englishmen must feel proud and thankful.'
• 1882, Installation of the statue of John Lawrence in London
• 1901, Buller Memorial Committee decides to create a memorial to Redvers Buller
• 1901, Creation of the Buller Memorial Committee in Exeter
  The Buller Memorial Committee was created in a meeting held in Exeter Guildhall in October 26th, 1901. The committee members were Albert Edward Dunn (Mayor of Exeter, 1900-1901), Edwin Charles Perry (Mayor of Exeter, 1904), J. A. Loram, T. Moulding, W. Wreford (Deputy Mayor of Exeter, 1901), E. J. Domville, T. Linscott (Mayor of Exeter, 1905), C. J. Ross, and W. H. Steer. October 1901 was a critical moment in Buller's own career and his subsequent legacy. Buller had come under heavy criticism from British newspapers for the Army's performance in the Second Boer War, and he was subsequently relieved of his army command on October 22nd, 1901. Given the Exeter meeting was held four days later, the campaign to build a statue for Buller was very much shaped around this controversy over his historical reputation.
• 1901, Local politicians in Exeter respond to the dismissal of Redvers Buller
• 1901, Redvers Buller is dismissed from the British Army
• 1902, Buller Memorial Committee decides to build a statue of Redvers Buller in Exeter as a memorial
• 1902, Debate held on Redvers Buller in Parliament
• 1902, Ladysmith Day held in Exeter
• 1903, Boer War memorial window and tablet unveiled in Exeter Cathedral
• 1903, Buller Memorial Committee commissions Adrian Jones to produce the statue of Redvers Buller
• 1903, Buller Memorial Committee locates a site for the Redvers Buller statue in Exeter
  The site chosen was the triangular space opposite the entrance to Hele's School (today Exeter College).
• 1903, Ladysmith Day held in Exeter
• 1903, Redvers Buller testifies before the Royal Commission on the South African War, 1899-1900
• 1903, Redvers Buller unveils a Boer War memorial in Bermondsey
• 1904, Ladysmith Day held in Exeter
• 1904, London Devonian Dinner pays tribute to Redvers Buller
• 1904, Redvers Buller unveils a Boer War memorial in Tonbridge
• 1904, Work begins on preparing the site of the Redvers Buller statue in Exeter
• 1905, Executive Committee of Devonians meeting in London
• 1905, Installation of the Redvers Buller statue in Exeter
• 1905, Ladysmith Day held in Exeter
• 1905, Redvers Buller unveils a Boer War memorial in Nuneaton
• 1905, Unveiling of the Redvers Buller statue in Exeter
  The statue of Redvers Buller was unveilled on September 6th, 1905. Redvers Buller himself attended the proceedings, as well as other colonial soldiers such as Paul Methuen and Frederick Stopford. The official proceedings for the day commenced with a Civic welcome at the Exeter Guildhall to the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, Mayors of Western Counties, and others. A procession then made its way to the cross-roads opposite opposite the entrance to Hele's School, where a stand facing Bury Meadow had been erected for ticket holders. Members of the Western Counties' Musical Association, Exeter Oratorio Society, and the Male Voice Choir were were placed on a platform by the gate of Hele's school, while the other two sides of the square were reserved for the general public. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue and Viscount Ebrington, took up his position on the platform, accompanied by the Mayor of Exeter, the Sheriff, the Mayor's Chaplain, and Mr. A. E. Dunn (chairman of the Committee). The speakers provided a history of behind the campaign for a statue of Buller, which originated from a meeting held in the Guildhall in 1901. Fortescue then read a speech from Garnet Wolseley (whom Buller had served under during the Anglo-Ashanti wars in 1870s), who had intended to speak at the ceremony but missed it due to poor health. An extract of Wolseley's speech read as follows: "From my heart I congratulate Sir Redvers upon being so justly appreciated in this his own loved county, long famous for its fighting leaders, as well, as he has always been, in the Army, where I had the privilege of serving with him for many years. This statue will remind future generations of Western men of the brilliant services performed by Devonshire’s most illustrious son of this period, and cannot fail to inspire them with a desire to serve our Sovereign in their turn as well and as faithfully as Sir Redvers Buller had done throughout his long and brilliant career" A Union Jack flag covering was then removed to reveal the statue to the public. After musical renditions of 'Land of Hope and Glory' and the National Anthem were performed, a reception was held at Exeter's Victoria Hall.
• 1906, George Lambert attacks St. John Brodrick over his visit to Devon and refers to the Redvers Buller statue
  George Lambert referred to Brodrick's involvement in the controversial dismissal of Redvers Buller in 1901, stating that 'I believe Mr. Brodrick's action with regards to General Buller was outrageous. While Mr. Brodrick has long been forgotten, the Buller statue will remain down through the ages, and his renown will live on as one of the best and truest soldiers of the British Empire.'
• 1907, Redvers Buller unveils a Boer War memorial in Warrington
• 1908, Funeral for Redvers Buller
• 1911, Memorial to Redvers Buller in Crediton Parish Church unveiled
• 1912, Perceval Landon praises Tweed for his Clive statue
  In a letter written by Perceval Landon from 83 Charlwood Street, S.W. [London] to his friend John Tweed, Landon said: "My dear Tweed, I cannot thank you properly for that splendid figure. He dominates the room and is so much more than merely Clive. It is the likeness of all the strong men in that small first class of Englishmen; and there is not a shadow on his face or a wrinkle on a boot that I would alter. He comes like a [...] of vitality and strength into the quietism of the Buddha, and at this moment is hooking an eye on me that is going to make me do much more work than I want to. How the man stands in his boots! Tweed, I thank you with all my heart. One day you must block out the head of Shakespeare in his later years getting a little fat and bloated, undistinguished of geature and a trifle coarse of texture - and out of [...] a face the eyes that saw an [sic.] life and saw it steadily and sanely. I am leaving London again today. Back on 4th when I hope to see you. P.L." The letter is dated September 25th, there is no year; it is difficult to be sure which year this is, since the principal bronze statue of Clive was unveiled in August 1912, but there was also a copy in marble made to be sent to Calcutta, and another, in smaller size, to be displayed in the Royal Academy (later moved to the Tate). Thus, the year is ascribed, and may be incorrect.
• 1913, Memorial plaque to Redvers Buller unveiled in Exeter Cathedral
• 1953, Redvers Buller statue becomes a listed building
• 1959, Re-installation of the statue of Charles Gordon in the UK
• 1959, Re-installation of the statue of Horatio Kitchener in the UK
• 1960, Unveiling of the John Nicholson statue at Dungannon Royal School
• 1963, Bristol Bus Boycott
  A boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company in protest against their racially discriminatory policy of refusing to hire Black and Asian staff.
• 1963, Bristol Bus Boycott
  1963, Boycott des bus de Bristol
• 1963, Unveiling of the statue of John Lawrence in Derry-Londonderry
• 1969, James Baldwin visits the Albert Memorial in London
• 1982, Anti-racist activists topple the statue of William Huskisson
• 1991, Olympia and York Group produce a marketing brochure with an illustration of the Milligan statue
  In 1991, Olympia and York Group, the developers of Canary Wharf, produced a marketing brochure with an architectural illustration of the proposed redevelopment works. The illustration, titled 'Canary Wharf Aerial Looking East', included an depiction of the Robert Milligan statue and the Hibbert Gate returned to the Docks. Both the statue and gate can be seen on the left hand side of the image close to the present site of the Museum of London Docklands. According to online sources, the original illustration is now in the collections of the UCSB Art Design & Architecture Museum.
• 1992, "Commemoration Day" installation at the Trophies of Empire art exhibition
  Bristol-born artist Carole Drake (a former pupil of Colston's Girl's School) created the installation "Commemoration Day" at the Arnolfini as part of the Trophies of Empire art exhibition, with the aim of drawing attention to Colston's involvement in the slave-trade. "Featuring a projected image of students from the artist’s old school, Colston Girls’, climbing on the statue of Colston, a replica of which hung from the ceiling, casting a haunting shadow on the projection. Drake wrote that ‘into this dark hole had been sucked the histories of thousands of black children, men and women, sacrificed a second time in order to present an uncomplicated, unsullied image of Colston as a benign patriarch’. The installation included a sound tape of the school hymn Rejoice ye pure in heart. Underneath the statue lay a bed of chrysanthemums, supposedly Colston’s favourite flower, which were left to slowly wither and decay during the exhibition." (Bluecoat Library)
• 1998, 'Fuck off slave trader' painted on Colston statue in red paint
  The Guardian reports: The first direct action against the Colston statue takes place, with “fuck off slave trader” painted on the statue overnight in red paint. Days later a Bristol councillor, Ray Sefia, said he could understand why the statue was targeted. “It’s like having a monument to Hitler,” he told the Bristol Post. “We have to be very clear about Colston’s role in the slave trade.”
• 1998, Bristol City Councillor Ray Sefia calls for the removal of the Edward Colston statue
• 1999, A plate of raw liver on a blood-spattered table is placed under the Edward Colston statue to symbolise how he "dined" on slavery
• 2000, Installation of a replica Hibbert Gate
  The original Hibbert Gate (named after the slave-owner and merchant George Hibbert) was built in 1803 but was demolished in 1930. A replica Hibbert Gate was created in 2000 and is still in place as of 2024.
• 2000, Winston Churchill statue defaced during May Day protests