Lichfield King Edward VII Statue

Statue of King Edward VII before and after restoration

The newly (2010) restored statue of King Edward VII in Lichfield’s Museum Gardens has been unveiled by Lichfield District Council. The statue of the former British monarch dates back to 1908 and was sculptured from Portland Stone by local stonemasons Robert Bridgeman and Sons.

It has been conserved and cleaned as part of Lichfield District Council’s and Lichfield City Council’s multi-million pound project to transform Beacon Park, The Garden of Remembrance and Minster pool and Walk.

Councillor Neil ROBERTS, district council cabinet member for development services, said: “As one of the first things visitors see when entering Beacon Park, it was important to restore the statue of Edward VII. We are delighted with the results. It looks like a new statue, rather than on that is more than 100 years old”.

The restoration work has been possible thanks to £3.9 million funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of their Parks for People programme.

The formal Museum Gardens were at one time covered by part of Minster Pool, Access across the pool was created in the early 1300’s when Causeway Bridge was constructed at the request of Bishop LANGTON. The bridge separated the pool in two, and the section of pool that covered the Museum gardens became known as the Bishop’s Pool.

In the late 18th century, silt that had been dredged up from Minster Pool was deposited in the Bishop’s Pool, raising the ground level. The area was developed into formal gardens, which was funded by Conduit Lands Trust.

Museum Gardens was opened in 1859 to complement the new Italianate free library and museum. The central fountain was unveiled in 1871.

A statue of Edward VII was added to the Museum Gardens in 1908 – presented by Robert BRIDGEMAN during his time as Sheriff of Lichfield. A bronze of Commander Edward John SMITH, captain of the ill-fated Titanic, was added later in 1914.

To find out more about the Lichfield Historic Parks Project, visit Lichfield District Council Historic Parks

.....Edward VII (Albert Edward) was born on November 9, 1841

.....He was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from January 22, 1901 until his death on May 6, 1910

.....Before his accession to the throne, Edward held the title of Prince of Wales and was heir apparent to the throne for longer than anyone else in history

.....The Edwardian period, which covered Edward’s reign, was named after him.