Grey's Monument

Context Grey's Monument was erected in recognition of the tenure of Charles Grey as Prime Minister. Earl Grey represented Northumberland in Parliament from the age of 22. It was during his time as Prime Minister that he passed the Reform Act 1832, which brought about constituency reform and extended the right to vote. Grey's Monument was constructed when Grey was still alive and had retired from politics. Conception and planning A monument to Earl Grey was first proposed by the Newcastle-based architect, John Green, in 1832. Green envisaged a statue in Northumberland Square, North Shields, depicting Grey in parliamentary robes, holding the Magna Carta. He sought public subscriptions for his scheme in the Newcastle Chronicle on 16 June 1832: Alternative sites for the monument were proposed, including Rimside Moor in Northumberland. The eventual site of the monument in central Newcastle was chosen as part of a local improvement plan proposed by Richard Grainger. In his plan, Grainger proposed to erect a statue not of Grey, but of an idealised figure. However, in 1834, Earl Grey was proposed as the subject of the statue. There was unanimous support for the monument and £500 was raised on the day. One of the subscribers to the final monument was Whig politician and Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell. The final location of the monument was slow to be approved, due to indecision from the council. There was also some lack of approval of Earl Grey himself; he was not as popular as he had been around the time of the Great Reform Bill's passing, A time capsule was buried at the time of the monument's construction. It contained a hermetically sealed glass bottle which contained a drawing of the structure, a collection of coins, local medals and tradesmen's tokens donated by John Ralph Fenwick, and a list of the monument's subscribers Following the completion of the column on 11 August 1838, On 24 August 1838, the statue of Earl Grey was placed on top of the column. Church bells rang throughout the day to commemorate the occasion, although Earl Grey did not attend. In November 1838, the scaffolding encasing the monument was removed. == Design ==

Column Measured from the bottom of the column to the top of the statue, Grey's Monument is tall. The fluted column is Roman Doric in style The column was originally built from stone from the Pennines, later replaced with sandstone ashlar. A helical staircase with 164 steps Four lamps were placed at the base of the monument in 1893, increasing to 12 in the 1920s. The railings and lamps have since been removed. twice-life-size figure standing upright, clothed in robes of the Order of the Garter. It is made out of Portland stone One of the statue's arms and a portion of the cloak were also damaged. The Newcastle Estate and Property Committee agreed that the statue would not be repaired until after the Second World War, but the head would be retained and restored. It was installed by the Red Barns Marble Works of Gibson Street, Newcastle. On the opposite face is a later inscription from 1932, installed at the request of Sir Charles Trevelyan, 100 years after the passing of the Great Reform Act. The words of the inscription were written by Edward Grey. == Critical and public reception ==

at Grey's Monument marking the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union in 2020.|alt=People standing around the base of the monument. One carries a European Union flag.|upright After the monument was completed it received praise from contemporary artists and writers. In 1857, a writer local to Newcastle wrote "the monument to Earl Grey is, to my mind, a huge mistake; you place an aged nobleman, dressed in court costume, on a high pillar, and, without a hat upon his bald head, expose him to the pelting of every storm that Heaven sends". Public interest and awareness of Earl Grey also decreased into and during the 20th century. Grey's Monument became a Grade I listed building on 14 June 1954. == See also ==