Statue of Sir James Robert McGrigor B. G., M. D. at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Summary

Bronze statue of Sir James Robert McGrigor BG, MD, situated at the southern entrance to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Reasons for Designation

The statue of Sir James Robert McGrigor is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* An elegant Victorian bronze statue atop a granite base;
* By noted sculptor Matthew Nobel who was a leading British portrait sculptor;
* Cast by Robertson and Cottam who were noted for their casting of large statues.

Historic interest:

* As a memorial to an individual largely responsible for the creation of the Royal Army Medical Corps who served in the Peninsular War (1807-1814) under the Duke of Wellington.

Group value:

* Within the estate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, notably in proximity to the Grade II listed Entrance Lodge (Staff College Gate) and Grade II listed Staff College.

History

Sir James Robert McGrigor is known to history as the Director General of the Army Medical Department (1815-1851) and served with the British armies in Holland, the West Indies, India, Egypt, the Walcheren Campaign and the Peninsular War. In 1811 he was appointed Surgeon-General for the Duke of Wellington's army in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular Wars (1808-1814). McGrigor served as Director-General of the Army Medical Service (1815-1851) and did much to reform that department. He introduced the stethoscope in 1821, set up field hospitals for those injured in action and generally improved the standards of cleanliness and hygiene. in 1814, the Duke of Wellington wrote that McGrigor was "One of the most industrious, able and successful public servants I have ever met with."

McGrigor's statue was erected at Chelsea Hospital on 18 November 1865, paid for by public subscription, with the chief contributors being Medical Officers of the Army. The sculptor, Matthew Nobel (1817-1876), was a leading British portrait sculptor. He is remembered for carving numerous monumental figures and busts including work memorializing Victorian-era royalty and statesmen including Robert Peel (Parliament Square, London), John Franklin (Waterloo Place, London) and Manchester's Wellington Monument. Nobel's statue of McGrigor dates to 1865 and was cast by Robertson and Cottam in Battersea, London, who were noted for their casting of large statues.

In 1909 the statue was moved to a small courtyard on Atterbury Street, Westminster. The statue was moved again in 2002 to its current location at Sandhurst.

Details

The statue comprises a bronze standing figure in military dress uniform, with decorations, on pedestal of pink Scottish granite with a grey granite plinth. A sword hangs on his left side and his right hand holds a leather wallet, presumably containing medical equipment.

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