Why does this Edward VII Statue stand here gazing across Oxford Road? The story starts with a king, a park, and a city’s desire to remember.
King Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s son, didn’t become king until he was 59. But when he did, Britain entered the Edwardian period, a time of change. After his death in 1910, Manchester decided to honor him with a statue.
Initially, there was some debate. James Gresham, a local engineer, commissioned John Cassidy to sculpt the statue. Gresham wanted it huge, a towering presence in Piccadilly Gardens. However, the location was changed. The statue was moved to Whitworth Park. It was also scaled down from the originally-planned size. The location was felt appropriate, as the King had opened the new Infirmary across the road on his last visit to the city.
Cassidy, a Manchester sculptor, was chosen for the task. He based his work on an existing bronze bust of Edward. The statue depicts the King in the robes of the Order of the Garter. He carries the Orb and Sceptre, symbols of the British monarch.
The Manchester Guardian, however, wasn’t entirely convinced. They worried that a mediocre statue would reflect poorly on the city. They said that it must be great, or it gibbets its sculptor and the municipality which sanctioned it.
Cassidy worked for two years creating the statue. He also needed three or four months for casting. A fourteen-inch plaster model had been prepared, which would later be scaled up to a quarter-size model and finally a full-size plaster version.
In October 1913, the Lady Mayoress of Manchester, Lady Royse, unveiled the Edward VII Statue. The statue stands three meters tall on a granite pedestal.
Over the years, the statue suffered some damage. The sceptre and the cross on top of the orb disappeared. In 2008, the city funded a refurbishment. Specialist portrait sculptor Tom Murphy recreated the missing features using original images and drawings. The conservation team ensured the use of the exact material composition for replacement castings.
So, here stands Edward VII, in Whitworth Park. He is surrounded by Edwardian Manchester. His statue gazes over the 1908 facade of the Art Gallery and the Infirmary building. The Edward VII Statue is a reminder of a king, a period of change, and Manchester’s commitment to remembering its history.