Statue of King Alfred, Trinity Church Square

Summary

C19 Coade stone statue of King Alfred incorporating a limestone fragment from a C2 Romano-British sculpture.

Reasons for Designation

Statue of King Alfred in Trinity Church Square, Southwark, erected in around 1828, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons.

Architectural interest:

* a relatively early example of a commemorative public monument by renowned sculptor James George Bubb;
* primarily of Coade stone but incorporating a fragment of a C2 Romano-British sculpture, the statue displays some fine detail and highly skilled craftsmanship.

Historic interest:
* the C2 Romano-British fragment is thought to be from one of the largest figurative sculptures in the Roman province of Britannia carved from native stone identified so far;
* originally planned for the first Manchester Town Hall, it is an early example of public sculpture for a Greek Revival building.

Group value:

* the statue is part of a coherent group of listed buildings with shared architectural and historic unity forming Trinity Church Square constructed in the early C19.

History

Agreement to develop the lands of the Trinity Estate in Newington Parish south of Great Suffolk Street East, now Trinity Street, was reached with the builder William Chadwick in 1825. This followed the donation of land to the parish for the construction of Trinity Church in September 1820. The lease agreed with Chadwick required him to enclose the area in front of the church with stone kerb and iron railings to be maintained as a shrubbery or turf plot for seventy years. Greenwood’s map of 1828 and a view in Thomas Allen’s 1831 book 'A New and Complete History of the County of Surrey' show the statue in place by these dates.

It is not entirely clear how the statue came to be located in Trinity Church Square, however as Chadwick held the lease of the land, he is the most likely candidate for the purchase and installation of the statue. As a prominent builder and stonemason, Chadwick may have come to acquire the statue through his connections with other tradespeople, particularly as Bubb was working on a number of commissions in London at the time.

The statue at Trinity Church Square has its origins linked to the construction of the first Manchester town hall, where in July 1823 the sculptor James George Bubb was commissioned by the architect Francis Goodwin and the Manchester Town Hall Committee to provide two statues for niches within the main frontage onto King Street, Manchester. Following discussions over subjects, statues of King Alfred and Solon the Athenian law maker were decided upon. The two statues were produced by June 1824, with the King Alfred statue incorporating a fragment of a Romano-British sculpture, most probably of the goddess Minerva. Concerns were raised that the two statues were too large for their niches, so Bubb subsequently produced smaller versions, and in August 1824 requested to exhibit the original larger statues in London. The two smaller sculptures were installed in their niches at Manchester Town Hall in August 1827.

The Manchester Town Hall where the smaller statues were installed was demolished in 1912, and the frontage reassembled as a screen with the statues in Heaton Park, Manchester, and is now Grade II* listed (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1282992). The Manchester version of the King Alfred statue is a reduced scale copy of that of Trinity Church Square, incorporating the same awkward proportions.

The source of the Romano-British fragment is unknown, but Bubb had extensive links to the architectural profession and provided sculpture for numerous buildings. In 2021, listed building consent was granted to clean, remove inappropriate later repairs and undertake repair work. Research into the statue at that time indicated that part of the sculpture came from a Romano-British sculpture.

Details

Coade stone statue of King Alfred by James George Bubb, completed by June 1824 and incorporating a fragment of an oolitic limestone Romano-British sculpture, believed to be of the goddess Minerva dating to the early to mid-C2.

MATERIALS: Coade stone and South Cotswold limestone of shelly oolitic character.

DESCRIPTION: a statue of a king in C14 style, identified as King Alfred in documentary evidence, approximately 2.6m tall standing on a moulded plinth. The statue has a plain back due to its planned location within a niche.

The pose of King Alfred, the drapery of the gown and cloak is based upon the Minerva fragment. The extent of the Minerva fragment can be seen in the recently conserved statue. A line below Alfred’s moulded belt shows the upper limit of the statue, the gathered cloth between the two legs, and the right leg are the most visible parts of the Romano-British fragment. As the Minerva sculpture places weight over the left leg the right leg projects forwards. The extent of the limestone is visible to below the right knee where the gown has been extended downwards in smoother Coade stone. The seam at the base of the limestone fragment rises before the left leg to end at mid-thigh, and elements of the limestone fragment show the edge of drapery that would have been supported over the left arm of Minerva, now continued in Coade in the Alfred statue.

The larger scale of the Minerva statue from which the fragment originated, probably being around twice life-size or 3m in height, gives the Alfred statue its odd proportions. The belt line of Alfred would have likely been placed at the waist of the Minerva sculpture; this is level with Alfred’s elbows. This means the lower part of the statue, feet to belt line, and top of legs makes up approximately two-thirds of the height of the statue, with approximately one-third from belt line to top of crown.

The detail of the Coade statue demonstrates considerable skill, the cloak is edged with an imitation embroidered margin which continues to the belt. The drapery of the cloak, and gown are designed to fit into, and continue the folds and elaboration of the Romano-British fragment. The cloak is tied below the full beard with a disk broach, Alfred wears an open crown.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

471418

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Constable, C, The examination of the early 19th-century statue of King Alfred in Trinity Church Square, Southwark, SE1 following cleaning and conservation works in London and Middlesex Archaeological Journal, Vol. 75, (2024), .
Wyke, T, Cocks, H, Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester , (2004)
Cavanagh, T, Public Sculpture of South London, (2007)
Allen, T, A New and Complete History of the County of Surrey, (1831)
Roscoe, I, Hardy, E, Sullivan, M G, A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660-1851, (2009)

Other
1828 map of London by C. and J. Greenwood

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