King Edward VII Memorial
What is it?
A tall plinth surmounted by a bronze angel of peace commemorates
King Edward VII's diplomatic tactics in Europe, particularly with
his cousin the Kaiser in Germany, and his establishment of an
entente cordiale with France.
The memorial is by N. A. Irent*, and was moved to its current site
from Milsom Street in 1933. Many similar versions of this statue,
known as "The Peacemaker", can be found in public parks and
squares all over the country [
Gilding 1997].
*sculptor should be Newbury Abbot Trent
[see
Wikipedia for more information]
Where is it in Bath?
The memorial is in Parade Gardens, to the east of
Bath Abbey. The memorial was moved here in
1933 when the
Bath Royal
Literary Institution was demolished and the Gardens
re-landscaped.
In the 17th century this area was part of the Abbey Orchard, lying
outside of the city wall. In 1709
Beau Nash
persuaded the entrepreneur Thomas Harrison to built an
Assembly Room on the edge
of this site. Between this building and a summerhouse on the river
bank were Harrison's Walks "a formal garden bordering the river
which for many years was a favoured resort of fashion"
[Ison 1980].
When
John Wood the elder laid out
the North and South Parades in 1738, he also redesigned the walks
and the area became known as St. James's Triangle [
Forsyth 2003].
Two plaques are fixed to the plinth of the memorial:
Plaque 1
The text on plaque 1 reads
"Edward VII 1901 - 1910"
Plaque 2:
The text on plaque 2 reads
"Erected by the citizens of Bath in memory of Edward the
Peacemaker"
Location map of plaques:
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