Statues & Sculpture

Statues & Sculpture
Murals and Wall Art
Monuments and Memorials

Acland Statue

Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (1787-1871) was a Tory MP for Devon over a period of 40 years. In May 1844, Acland announced, to an interested House of Commons, that he had left Exeter at 5pm that afternoon and was speaking to the House at 10pm the same day, using the new railway from Exeter. Formerly, it had taken him sixteen to twenty hours by stage coach.

The statue is dated 1861. It was moved to its present position, under the city wall, after it sustained damage in a more exposed position, to a particularly vicious northerly gale, which hit Northernhay Gardens around about 1930. In the ensuing years, the eminent gentleman's head was lost to vandalism, along with other bits of his anatomy.

Acland's are recorded in Devon as far back as the 12th century. The Acland family have been major Devon landowners for generations and resided at Killerton House, just outside Exeter. During the Civil War, the Acland's were noted Royalists. The statue had lost its head when I first went to photograph it. The parks department have managed to since fix the good gentleman's head back on.

Armillary - Exeter Quay

This Armillary can be found in the front of the Custom House, on the quay. It is a sculptural piece, cast in bronze, rather than a real armillary. Sculpted by Roger Dean, it dates from 1990.

Armillary's are astronomical instruments - early ones had the earth in the centre while modern ones have the sun. They are used as a teaching tool to demonstrate the motion of the earth around the sun and the movement of the other planets. There are even clockwork armillary's that animate the planets positions relative to each other.

Blueboy Statue - Princesshay

The Blueboy was situated at the spot in Princesshay that the Bluecoat School was built. The statue originally stood at the entrance, for many years, to St John's Hospital School. The Blueboy was removed while the new Princesshay was constructed, and placed on a new plinth in the same spot for the opening in September 2007. The inscription reads:

There is a second, unpainted, Blueboy statue in the Royal Albert Museum, and a third, painted statue stands in the window of the Old Exonian Club Headquarters and Archive Centre at Exeter School; it was formerly in the Butterfield Library at the school.

General Sir Redvers Buller Statue

This grand statue at the junction of Hele Road and New North Road was unveiled on 6th September 1905, by the 3rd Earl Fortescue, Lord Lieutenant of Devon, with General Buller, his wife, Lady Audrey and daughter Georgina and thousands of people in attendance.

To raise funds for the statue, 50,000 people subscribed towards its creation. The work of Captain Adrian Jones (1845-1938), a former vet and cavalry officer, the statue is a typical, although lively, bronze of the type produced in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. It was cast at a foundry in the north of England, sent by sea to Tilbury and then by rail, via Paddington to Exeter. Jones was also responsible for the four-horse chariot in bronze at Hyde Park Corner. 

The statue weighs four tons and stands on a Cornish granite plinth on the site of what was known as the Edinburgh Tree - controversially for the people of Crediton, it faces away from the town, which some thought was a deliberate slight. The statue depicts Buller astride his horse, 'Biffen', while commanding his troops in South Africa. On the base is inscribed "He Saved Natal".

In 1900, General Buller was presented with a sword of honour in a jewelled scabbard by the men and women of Devon for his exploits. It has been put on permanent loan by the Buller family to Exeter and is now part of the city's civic regalia.

Born at Downes near Crediton, Buller was a prominent benefactor in Crediton and Exeter.

The Deer Stalker

This bronze statue was sculpted in 1875 and was unveiled in 1878 in Bedford Circus. It was sculpted by E B Stephens ARA, and cast in bronze. After Stephens died it was presented to the city by his friends and admirers during the Mayoralty of H D Thomas.

Stephens was born in Exeter on 10th December 1815 and died in November 1882. This piece is recognised as one of his finest works and was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1876. It was moved to Northernhay Gardens to make way for the Lord Courtenay statue which now stands at the head of Bedford Street. He was also responsible for the bronze figure of Prince Albert in the Royal Albert Museum.

Statue of John Dinham

This statue of John Dinham is in Northernhay Park. It was sculpted by E B Stephens who also sculpted the 'Deer Stalker' which can also be found in the park.

John Dinham was a local philanthropist who came from a poor background. Born at Kenton in 1788, his father was the farm bailiff at Powderham Castle, the ancestral home of the Earl of Devon.

Dinham worked as a grocer and a jeweller and accumulated a fortune. He built forty two Free Cottages above Weir Cliff as retirement homes for the poor. The area is now known as Mount Dinham. He also opened the Rack Street Infant School, in the West Quarter. John Dinham died in June 1861, leaving £21,000 to charitable causes.

Exeter Riddle Sculpture

This folded stainless-steel triangular sculpture is the latest addition to Exeter High Street. Made by the artist Michael Fairfax, it has alternate 'wings' with verses from the Exeter Riddles which date from the circa 960AD, Exeter Book, the earliest known example of Anglo Saxon poetry in existence. The Exeter Book is kept in the Cathedral Library, and has recently been copied, along with translations onto an interactive DVD Rom. The book is not quite complete, as it has been used as a mediaval carpenters chopping block, had glue spilt on it and suffered from scorching at some point. The riddles have been translated into modern English and engraved on the wings of the piece, in reverse. A careful choice of riddles was made, as many were either too long or obscene. The verses can be read, by looking at their reflection in the adjacent 'wing'. Between each pair of 'wings' is a polished, stainless-steel sphere on which is engraved the answer to the riddle.

The 6 meter high sculpture, which cost £65,000 (2005 cost) is part of the million pound plus refurbishment of the High Street. It was unveiled on 30 March 2005 by the leader of the City Council, Cllr. Roy Slack and the Chairman of Devon County Council, Cllr. Mike Knight. Its creator, Michael Fairfax said:

"Some of my father's poetry features in the new book of Exeter Riddles - that's how I came to know there was an 'old' book. I read it and thought the riddles were absolutely brilliant, so I decided to put them on the obelisk."

Hooker Statue

Richard Hooker was born in Heavitree in 1554 and studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He had few social graces and had to ask his landlady to find him a wife. His sermons were considered best avoided. However, as a religious thinker, he travelled the country, preaching and arguing his views. Some consider him the 'father of Anglicanism' for his Ecclesiastical Polity, a radical book on religion, which argued that the church should take a middle way, and not be too puritanical. He died in 1600, at Bishopbourne near Canterbury.

Carved out of white 'pentilicon' marble*, by Alfred Drury RA (1856-1944), at a cost of a thousand guineas, the statue was unveiled on October 25th 1907. It depicts the 'Judicious Hooker' as he was known, seated with his book. The statue stands in the centre of the ancient Cathedral common burial ground.

Drury also created a bronze statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds, a Devonian, that stands in the courtyard of the Royal Academy.

*Pentilicon marble was used for building the Parthenon in Athens. The best is a pure whte marble normally only quarried in Greece. Due to past exploitation, the marble that is now quarried tends to be greyer in colour.

Despair and Hope

In the centre of the new Princesshay, high up on two adjacent corners, can be found these two sculpted figures. It is very easy to miss the figures, which have actually been a feature of Princesshay for the last 50, or so, years.

Originally placed at the Cathedral end of Princesshay, with the junction of Bedford Street. They allude to the blitz of 1942 and the destruction of the city. They are rather tall and elegant - the right hand figure covers her head with her hands in despair at the conflagration, her clothing torn and dishevelled. The figure on the left looks out with hope, holding aloft a torch to guide the path of others to a new future.

In my view, these two figures are the best of the old artwork from the post-war Princesshay, and it is good to see them back in the centre of the city. They have been nicely cleaned, and hopefully, their new place in the 'streetscape' will make them a more familiar feature of the city, than they were previously.

Looking Forward Bronze

Between the side entrance of Marks and Spencer and St Pancras Church, in the Guildhall centre, you will find the Looking Forward bronze. This piece was made to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

Sculpted by Peter Thursby, it was cast in Woodland, near Ashburton by the Chris Blackmore foundry. For the full story of the casting see, Casting the bronze

On the 30th September, 1977, the sculpture was unveiled by the Mayor of Exeter, Roger John Keast. It took 6 months, and £5,000 to create the piece.

Courtenay Statue

Standing in Bedford Street is a most prominent statue of William Reginald Courtenay, the 11th Earl of Devon - born 1807, died 1888. The statue was sculpted by E B Stephens ARA, a native of Exeter, who also sculpted the Deer Stalker in Northernhay Park. The statue used to stand in the central garden of Bedford Circus before it was destroyed by bombing in 1942.

The Courtenay's have been a prominent family in Exeter for centuries with Rougemont Castle held by Robert Courtenay in 1217. The family's fortune took a knock when Henry Courtenay was accused of treason by Henry VIII and was executed in 1539. The Courtenay's lost their possessions to the crown and were ordered to remove their obstructions from the river at Countess Wear. This was not practical so the city obtained permission to build the first pound lock canal in the country.

Marking Time

The controversial Princesshay redevelopment has a number of public art pieces to be incorporated into the shopping complex. This is the first to be completed and unveiled.  

Created by Patricia McKinnon-Day, this piece has been designed to integrate with the St Catherine's Almshouses site, and not only challenge the viewer as a work of art, but to also tell some of the story of the almshouses.

The piece consists of sealed glass panels in the shape of medieval doors. Sealed into each door are small archeological finds - pieces of medieval pottery, Victorian cod bottles and even a 2000's Coke can. Each object is placed at a height from the ground to reflect its place in time. The lower the object, the older it is.  Some have questioned the Coke can - a justification for it has been that it not only reflects our age, but that the Coke can has itself changed in design over the last 50 years, making the dating of future archeological finds comparatively easy. Personally, I feel that it is an icon of our age, just as a Force box, or Oxo tins are icons of previous ages.

The second part of the piece can be found on the ground - McKinnon-Day was given access to the Chapter Acts books for the almshouses and extracted quotes which have been engraved into the stone paving. It is in these quotes that the daily business of the almshouses is recorded.

Altogether, an interesting artwork that enhances the space - lets hope the rest of the planned artworks are as successful.

Northcote Statue

Stafford Henry Northcote, the Earl of Iddesleigh 1818-1887 was a prominent conservative in mid 19th century Exeter. His family can be traced back to 12th century Devon.

He was a prominent politician who represented Dudley, Stamford and North Devon. In 1874 he became Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He proposed founding the Royal Albert Museum as a memorial to Prince Albert. An appeal was launched in 1861 and it was running by 1868.

Phoenix Bird

Will Jackson working from sketches by Paul Spooner created this Phoenix bird which can be found over the doorway of the Phoenix Art Centre. It was commissioned for the opening of the Phoenix Arts Centre in 1999.
 
The piece, built from stainless steel, is hydraulically driven, lifts from the wall and spreads it's wings on the hour. The head, beak and neck move back and forth, driven by small hydraulic rams. Narrow beam spot lights shine from its eyes, giving an attractive look at night.

This is a must see piece of public art - make sure you turn up on the hour. And don't forget to take some birdseed!

Queen Victoria - Queen Street

This is a fibreglass copy of an original, carved wood sculpture that was on the corner of Queen Street and the High Street, above Waltons store. When Marks and Spencer developed their new store on the site in 1978, concern was expressed that the sculpture would be lost. It was decided to preserve it, but when the workmen took it down it was found to be in very poor condition, so this copy was made. It is placed over the Queen Street side of the store.   

The original statue was erected on the 24th May 1848, the young Queen's 27th birthday. Marks and Spencers first store in Exeter opened in 1912 at the top of Fore Street, close to the modern British Home Stores

There is a second statue of Queen Victoria - it is much smaller, coloured piece, which can be found on the corner of Little Queen Street and Queen Street.

Scrap Iron Unicorn

This Unicorn sculpture is placed on a raised brick wall next to the Phoenix Art Centre. Made out of scrap iron by Simon Roscoe, the piece was purchased in 1999. It is a shame that the fence detracts from its graceful lines. The plaque by the sculpture, has the inscription from the Exeter Book of Riddles:   

'I ride on a splendid steed
At the head of the host; harsh is my voice,
The fair-headed Queen, daughter of an earl,
Sometimes lays her hand on me, well-born though she is.'

Translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland: published by Penguin Books.

The Year of the Pedestrian - High Street

This sculpture was first placed in a position outside of Boots in 1989. It was removed in 2003 to allow the High Street to be refurbished, including new granite paving. It was put back into position in 2005. The sculptor, Carole Vincent from Cornwall specialises in concrete sculptures. She was commissioned to produce four copies, which can be found in Barnstaple, Torbay, Plymouth and of course, Exeter.   

The bronze inscription reads: