Show on mapWhen this post was first created back in 2012 it contains many inaccuracies gathered from a diverse range of sources. So i have now replaced it with the words of Peter Sotheran MBE JP, Chairman of Trustees of Sir Wm Turner’s Almshouses 1996 – 2014
The statue of Justicia (Justice) is NOT by James Gibb. My own researches of catalogues and sales/purchase invoices suggest that it may have been created by Henry Scheere of London.
It is believed to have come from Canons in Edgware (London) but there is no documentary evidence to support that. I have studied the architects drawings for Canons but Justicia is not shown amongst the many statutes that once lined the roof-top parapet of the building. I have examined the auction sale catalogues for the dispersal of Canons artefacts in 1745 and this statue is not listed.
There is no documentary evidence in the almshouses’ archives (at NRYCC Record Office in Northallerton) of its acquisition or installation. So it remains something of a mystery although the smart money backs the chance that it did come from Canons.
Over the centuries the statue had had 14 different coats of paint. Paint analysis made it possible to determine the original finish and the present stone colour is how it originally appeared.
She leans forward because this statue originally stood on a roof parapet, high above the ground. Tilting her torso forward corrects the effect of perspective which, otherwise, would make her head and shoulders appear to be too small when viewed from ground level.
The restoration of the statue involved removing almost quarter of a ton of cement, plaster and rubble that had been poured inside to stiffen the statue (no wonder the plinth tilted over!). The original wrought iron armature (internal frame) that supported the shell was replaced with a new stainless steel armature. The internal void was filled with a plastic resin to give solidity; should ever it need to be removed, it can be dissolved with a specific chemical solution and removed without harming the shell.
The repairs were funded by the Paul Getty and the Wolfson Foundations, Tees Valley Community Foundation and the Pizza Express Foundation.
Heres a ‘Before’ shot from the photostream of Bolckow for comparison.
Good afternoon all.
What you are about to read can only be defined as the absolute definition of “Pedantic”, but here I go anyway…
It has come to my attention that your reference to the Justice Statue in Sir William Turners Hospital defines the date of its creation being around 1720.
However James Gibbs was actually fired from his job by James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos in 1719, after Sir John Vanbrugh disapproved of Gibbs design for the interior, claiming ” the inside is of poor Invention”.
We can only surmise that with these dates being accurate that the Justice Statue was conceived and created between the years of his appointment, those being 1715 to 1719.
And thats my rant. I told you I was going to be pedantic.
On a more useful note, have you heard of Talking Statues? This is something popular in London and Manchester at the moment.
Using a mobile phone and the square barcode (QR Code) technology, it would be pretty easy to setup something similar in Kirkleatham, offering visitors a little more information on what they are seeing.
Being a Redcarpudlian I’d obviously offer my services & setup for no charge if you need my help. It may even be a good idea to get the Gazette involved if you “Ask the public” to write a 400 word monologue perhaps from the perspective of the few statues in the village.
Here is a link to what the creators of Talking Statues are doing which you could duplicate without incident.
http://www.talkingstatues.co.uk/trex.html
Kind regards
Michael R. Hall
Regarding the use of QR codes to create animated images, this was considered as part of a proposed information centre at the almshouses. Due to a lack of a mobile phone signal at the location, the idea was quickly shelved. The plans for the info centre were later abandoned.
I’m afraid several strands of the history of Sir Wm Turner’s Almshouses have got intermingled here. Having served 25 years as a Trustee and given countless tours and talks, I have gathered a little knowledge. As Michael comments, the statue of Justicia (Justice) is NOT by James Gibb. My own researches of catalogues and sales/purchase invoices suggest that it may have been created by Henry Scheere of London.
It is believed to have come from Canons in Edgware (London) but there is no documentary evidence to support that. I have studied the architects drawings for Canons but Justicia is not shown amongst the many statutes that once lined the roof-top parapet of the building. I have examined the auction sale catalogues for the dispersal of Canons artefacts in 1745 and this statue is not listed.
There is no documentary evidence in the almshouses’ archives (at NRYCC Record Office in Northallerton) of its acquisition or installation. So it remains something of a mystery although the smart money backs the chance that it did come from Canons.
Over the centuries the statue had had 14 different coats of paint. Paint analysis made it possible to determine the original finish and the present stone colour is how it originally appeared.
She leans forward because this statue originally stood on a roof parapet, high above the ground. Tilting her torso forward corrects the effect of perspective which, otherwise, would make her head and shoulders appear to be too small when viewed from ground level.
The restoration of the statue involved removing almost quarter of a ton of cement, plaster and rubble that had been poured inside to stiffen the statue (no wonder the plinth tilted over!). The original wrought iron armature (internal frame) that supported the shell was replaced with a new stainless steel armature. The internal void was filled with a plastic resin to give solidity; should ever it need to be removed, it can be dissolved with a specific chemical solution and removed without harming the shell.
Peter Sotheran MBE JP
Chairman of Trustees of Sir Wm Turner’s Almshouses 1996 – 2014
I don’t recall where I got the information from in the first place, but possibly in part from the English Heritage listing document which mentions that. I’ll change it over the weekend to reflect your more enlightened account.
I don’t recall where I got the information from in the first place, but possibly in part from the English Heritage listing document which mentions that. I’ll change it over the weekend to reflect your more enlightened account.