Shakespeare Monument on east side of the Great Gardens of New Place

The Shakespeare Monument, located on the east side of the Great Gardens of New Place, is a significant structure from 1789, created by Thomas Banks RA for Alderman John Boydell. It was relocated to its current position in 1871, with a cornice added around 1891.

Constructed from pale ashlar limestone, the monument features a rear wall made of red brick, while the 19th-century plinth and cornice are made from different types of ashlar limestone.

The monument has a rectangular shape and faces west. It showcases a high-relief sculpture of Shakespeare, attended by the figures of Painting and Poetry, all under a bracketed pedimental-gabled canopy and set upon a large plinth. The central figure of Shakespeare is depicted in contemporary dress, seated on a rock outcrop. To his left stands the Dramatic Muse, dressed in flowing robes and holding a lyre and a wreath. To the right is the Genius of Painting, draped and holding brushes and a palette. The rock outcrop is positioned on a rectangular plinth that features an inscription from Hamlet Act I, Scene ii: “HE WAS A MAN, TAKE HIM FOR ALL IN ALL/ I SHALL NOT LOOK UPON HIS LIKE AGAIN.”

The large plain plinth below bears the inscription: THIS ALTO RELIEVO/ REPRESENTING SHAKESPEARE SEATED BETWEEN THE DRAMATIC MUSE AND THE GENIUS OF PAINTING/ (FORMERLY IN THE FRONT OF THE SHAKESPEARE GALLERY, PALL MALL, LONDON,)/ WAS PRESENTED TO THE TOWN BY/ CHARLES HOLTE BRACEBRIDGE ESQ.,/ ATHERSTONE HALL,/ 1871.

The rear wall is primarily constructed in Flemish Garden Wall (Sussex) Bond.