Statue of Joseph Locke and enclosure

Summary

Statue and enclosure, 1862 to 1866 by Baron Carlo Marochetti commissioned by the Institute of Civil Engineers.

Reasons for Designation

The statue of Joseph Locke and its enclosure, 1862 to 1866 by Baron Carlo Marochetti, commissioned by the Institute of Civil Engineers, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a dignified, well-designed bronze statue in contemporary clothing set within a square, balustraded enclosure;
* the statue is designed by the notable sculptor Baron Carlo Marochetti, renowned for his high-quality bronze and marble public sculptures.

Historic interest:

* Joseph Locke was a key national figure in the development of the railway network in both England and France, his standing recognised by the Institute of Civil Engineers, who commissioned his statue and the contemporary bronze statues of Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, all by Marochetti, as fitting tributes to these outstanding engineers.

Group value:

* the statue stands in the registered Locke Park, named after Locke, who donated the land for a park to Barnsley under the terms of his will, and which also contains the listed Locke Park Tower of 1877, commemorating Locke’s wife, Phoebe, and 1908 bandstand.

History

Joseph Locke (1805-1860) was a Civil Engineer, one of the key figures in the development of the railway network in both England and France. Born in Sheffield, his family moved to Barnsley when he was five, and he went on to attend Barnsley Grammar School. His father had worked with George Stephenson and in 1823 Joseph was articled as a pupil engineer to Stephenson. He then assisted Stephenson in the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. From 1835 he was the chief engineer on the Grand Junction Railway after Stephenson withdrew from the project. Among the many lines he went on to construct in the British Isles were the main line from London to Southampton (1836-1840), Sheffield and Manchester (1838-1840) and the Greenock, Paisley and Glasgow line (1837-1841). He also built railway lines in France, for which he was made chevalier of the Legion d’honneur, Spain and the Dutch-Rhenish railway. In Britain he was an active member of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 1830 and was its president in 1857-1859. He also served as a Whig and a Liberal politician and was MP for Honiton from 1849 until his death.

Following Locke’s death a meeting was convened at the Institute of Civil Engineers, which resolved to commission a statue from Baron Marochetti. Although a marble statue was first envisaged, Marochetti had just completed a bronze statue of Robert Stephenson and was working on one of Brunel, and it was felt that something similar for Locke would be fitting. He was engaged on the commission by 1862. It had been hoped to place all three statues in the gardens of St Margaret’s, Westminster, near the Institution of Civil Engineers, but consent was not granted by the Government of the day.

Under the terms of Locke’s will, land was purchased to create a public park in Barnsley and it was decided that this would be the most suitable location for the statue as the London site had not proved possible. It was erected on 1 January 1866 and an 'inauguration' of the statue was conducted on 18 January 1866 on a day of public holiday in the town. In a procession from the centre of Barnsley, local dignitaries and inhabitants made their way up to Locke Park, escorted by members of the Barnsley Volunteers, where the statue was unveiled by John Fowler, President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The statue cost 3,000 guineas and an item in a local newspaper says £24 10s was paid for the erection of railings 'to protect' the memorial.

In 1951 a replica of the statue in cement-stone, made by Louis Duhec from moulds taken in situ, was erected in France, through funds raised by public subscription. It is located in Barentin, Normandy, beneath the impressive 27-arch viaduct that Locke built there.

Details

Statue and enclosure, 1862 to 1866 by Baron Carlo Marochetti commissioned by the Institute of Civil Engineers.

MATERIALS: bronze statue on a polished red granite pedestal with a Portland stone enclosure.

DESCRIPTION: not inspected (2021), information from other sources.

The over-life-size statue is set within a square enclosure in Locke Park. The standing figure of Locke wearing a plain frock-coat and cravat gazes over the park below. He holds a partially unfurled scroll of papers in his left hand and his right arm is bent with his hand holding his coat lapel. The statue stands on a high, square pedestal of red granite inscribed Joseph Locke on the front face. It is surrounded by a square enclosure with a Portland stone balustrade with turned balusters and square, panelled corner piers with ornamental square capitals.

A Barnsley Heritage blue plaque has been attached to the right-hand side of the pedestal.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

333738

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
White, D, Norman, E, Public Sculpture of Sheffield and South Yorkshire, Public Sculpture of Britain Volume Eighteen, PMSA National Recording Project, (2015), 17-18

Websites
Boase, G., & Harrington, R. (2004, September 23). Locke, Joseph (1805–1860), railway engineer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography., accessed 4 January 2021. from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-16887.

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