Monuments Memorials and Statues

In Newcastle there are many monuments and statues from memorial fountains and hidden gems like the vampire rabbit to the imposing statues celebrating the lives and achievements of famous residents such as Earl Grey and George Stephenson, eventually I hope to feature each and every one of them here.

 

 

 



 

 


Earl Grey Monument
The monument of Earl Grey was designed by E H Bailey in 1835 in memory of the former Prime Minister who also gives his name to Grey Street in Newcastle as well as Earl Grey Tea.

 

Basil Hume
The statue of Cardinal Basil Hume dressed in a Benedictine habit and wearing the Cross of St Cuthbert stands in front of St Mary’s Cathedral was unveiled by the Queen in 2002




War Memorial Old Eldon Square
The statue of St George and Dragon was designed by Charles Leonard Hartwell and was unveiled on September 26 1923. St George is the patron saint of the Northumberland Fusiliers. It is Newcastle’s official war memorial.

Temperance Fountain
The memorial fountain to the temperance reformer Dr J.H. Rutherford was unveiled in September 1894. It was moved to the Bigg Market in 1902 and has inscribed the slogan “water is best” which is quite ironic as the Bigg Market today is one of the most popular drinking spots in Newcastle!

Stephenson Memorial
George Stephenson’s memorial near the Central Station shows the famous engineer surrounded by four bronze figures seated on the bases, an engineer, a blacksmith, a miner and a plate-layer. It was sculpted by John Graham Lough and unveiled in 1862.
 

Queen Victoria Statue St Nicholas Cathedral
The statue of Queen Victoria in her later years was sculpted by Alfred Gilbert. It is next to St Nicholas Cathedral, facing West so that the statue does not have its back to the cathedral which would be disrespectful to the church, nor to the Town Hall which was once on the other side of the road, as this would be insulting to the town.