Pedestal to the statue of Edward Colston

Pedestal to the statue of Edward Colston, 1895, by sculptor John Cassidy of Manchester.

MATERIALS: Hopton Wood stone with bronze work by the Coalbrookdale Company.

DESCRIPTION: square on plan, of two stages, comprising a base with angle buttresses beneath a pedestal with chamfered corners and cornice. At the corners of the pedestal, resting on the buttresses, are bronze dolphins (dolphins feature on the Colston family crest), and on each face, a bronze plaque with reliefs in the style of the New Sculpture movement. On the south face, the words 'Erected by / citizens of Bristol / as a memorial / of one of the most / virtuous and wise sons of / their city / AD 1895' and 'John Cassidy fecit'. On the west face, Colston dispenses charity to poor families; on the north he is shown at the harbour inspecting one of his ships; on the east is a symbolic scene with marine horses, mermaids, and anchors. Inscribed on the south face of the base the words 'Edward Colston / Born 1636 / Died 1721'.