Moving statues

Statues are not history "because they are always silent about the victims" and are erected "by a tiny male elite." This is the argument of David Olusoga in response the the government's "retain and explain" policy towards statues. Whereas the government urges town planners to retain statues but put them in historical context, Olusoga argues controversial statues should be removed as they only give one side of history.  

Several statues in Sheffield have been moved from their original positions but, rather than being removed entirely as Olusoga would urge, they have been put in an alternative location, usually in parks. This was often done in the mid 20th century when increased vehicular traffic meant that some statues were presenting a dangerous obstruction to sight lines and traffic flow.

Perhaps the best known example is the statue of Queen Victoria (above) presently at the Hunters Bar entrance to Endcliffe Park. This statue was designed by Alfred Turner in 1904 and beneath Victoria are two bronze figures, one representing maternity and the other representing labour. This statue was moved to its current location from the junction of Fargate and Leopold Street in 1930. The obelisk that stands next to the entrance to the park from Rustlings Road also commemorates Queen Victoria and was also moved to Endcliffe Park from Fargate.

Another example of a moving Sheffield statue is the statue of the figure of Victory (above) that originally stood at the top of the Moor and Pinstone Street. The statue is one of the few statues nationally that commemorates the Crimean War (1853-1856) between Britain and Russia which is commonly regarded as the first "modern" war. Sheffield has a special connection with this war because Florence Nightingale who made her reputation during the war was part of the Shore Family from Sheffield that lived in Meersbrook Hall and then Tapton Hall. The top section of the statue was moved to the Botanical Gardens in 1960 but removed in 2014 as part of the restoration of the Gardens and remains in storage in the Council depot at Staniforth Road, Darnall. 

Bizarrely, the column section of the statue (above) can be seen in bits in the Ponderosa Park, Crookesmoor.

For me the most interesting example of a moving statue in Sheffield is that of Ebenezer Elliott (above), the so called corn law rhymer, whose statue now stands (or more accurately, sits) at the entrance to Weston Park at the top of Clarkson Street. Elliott was known as the Corn Law Rhymer because he wrote poems protesting against the corn laws that imposed a tariff on imported wheat which inflated bread prices making it unaffordable to the working classes. The corn laws were eventually repealed in 1846. In his poem Ebenezer Elliott, the Corn Law Rhymer Stanley Cooke says of the statue 

                "Pigeons perch on him like forward children

                 Making up; he remains impervious

                 As a party leader giving autographs

                On the stone soapbox of his plinth."

The statue was originally erected in 1854 and stood in the old market square in Sheffield City Centre, close to the site of Castle Market. It was moved to its current position in 1875. What I find interesting is that the statue was moved so early. I suspect the reason for this might well be that the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Sheffield in 1875 and in preparation for this visit the market area was given a face lift including a triumphal arch at Lady Bridge. It is likely that a statue of a renowned protester for the working class would be seen as something that would be frowned upon by the royal visitors. Below is a photo of Elliott in his original location in the 1860s.

Returning to Olusoka's arguments, while in principle I agree we shouldn't be nostalgic about statues of the past, I feel Sheffield City Centre lacks the focal point of statues and it is regretful that these statues have been moved to corners of parks that are beautiful enough in their own right. It is certainly sad when statues end up in council storage in Darnall.

What do you think, should statues remain but be explained, be moved or be removed?