Statue of John Howard, Bedford: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:HowardStatueBedford.JPG|left|thumb|170px|The statue more recently]] |
[[Image:HowardStatueBedford.JPG|left|thumb|170px|The statue more recently]] |
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{{main|John Howard (prison reformer)}} |
{{main|John Howard (prison reformer)}} |
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John Howard (1726–1790), |
John Howard (1726–1790), born in [[Lower Clapton]], London, was brought up in [[Cardington, Bedfordshire|Cardington]], Bedfordshire, where his father's property was. In 1773 he became [[High Sheriff of Bedfordshire]] and, upon discovering the state of the prisons, began a lifelong work of reform, spending a large part of his wealth and a great deal of time travelling over 50,000 miles investigating and reporting on the conditions of prisons across Britain and later Europe. |
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Howard was active in the [[non-conformist movement]] in Bedford and is commemorated also in [[Howard House, Bedford|Howard House]], where he stayed, and in the [[Howard Chapel]] which, in 1772, he helped to found. |
Howard was active in the [[non-conformist movement]] in Bedford and is commemorated also in [[Howard House, Bedford|Howard House]], where he stayed, and in the [[Howard Chapel]] which, in 1772, he helped to found. |
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Revision as of 18:50, 8 May 2015
The statue of John Howard, in St Pauls's Square, Bedford, is a bronze of John Howard, erected in 1890,[1] the centenary of Howard's death. It stands on an ornate plinth inscribed:
John Howard
1726–1790
———
1890
The plinth in turn sits on five octagonal stone steps, raising the total height of the monument to about 20 feet (6.1 m).
Sculptor
The statue is by the Victorian artist Alfred Gilbert (1854–1934), a student of Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm (whose Statue of John Bunyan is nearby and who is famed for his aluminium Statue of Anteros in Piccadilly Circus.
Subject
John Howard (1726–1790), born in Lower Clapton, London, was brought up in Cardington, Bedfordshire, where his father's property was. In 1773 he became High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and, upon discovering the state of the prisons, began a lifelong work of reform, spending a large part of his wealth and a great deal of time travelling over 50,000 miles investigating and reporting on the conditions of prisons across Britain and later Europe.
Howard was active in the non-conformist movement in Bedford and is commemorated also in Howard House, where he stayed, and in the Howard Chapel which, in 1772, he helped to found.
The Howard League for Penal Reform is named after him.
See also
References
- ^ Margaret Baker. Discovering Statues. Vol. 1 Southern England. pp. 8–9.
External links
