Bust Of Samuel Plimsoll

BRISTOL

901-1/13/1460 CAPRICORN PLACE 04-MAR-77 HOTWELLS BUST OF SAMUEL PLIMSOLL (Formerly listed as: HOTWELL ROAD HOTWELLS BUST OF SAMUEL PLIMSOLL)

II Commemorative monument to Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898), first erected in 1962.

MATERIAL The white marble bust of Samuel Plimsoll stands on a granite base.

DESCRIPTION The front face of the base pedestal bears the inscription 'SAMUEL PLIMSOLL MP 1824-1898'. Centred below this is an example of the Plimsoll Mark. This mark can also be found on the left side face of the pedestal, at the bottom of a mounted bronze plaque, which reads, in raised Roman capitals: 'SAMUEL PLIMSOLL, M.P./BORN IN THIS /CITY AND PORT OF BRISTOL/1824/DIED IN/1898/HIS UNTIRING EFFORTS LED TO THE/MERCHANT SHIPPING ACTS OF 1875/AND 1876 WHICH FIRST MADE LOAD/LINES COMPULSORY FOR THE SAFETY/OF SHIPS/'.

HISTORY Samuel Plimsoll was born in Colston's Parade, Bristol on 10 February 1824. Plimsoll was a merchant, as well as a pioneering reformer, known as 'the sailor's friend'. He worked to improve what he saw as dangerous practices in merchant shipping. One of his greatest achievements was the creation of the 'Plimsoll Line', in response to his dismay at the large numbers of deaths due to the overloading of cargo ships. This line, also known as the 'Plimsoll Mark', was drawn on the hull of cargo ships to denote the maximum depth to which the ship could be safely loaded. In 1867, the Liverpool Rubber Company bestowed Plimsoll's name on their rubber-soled canvas shoe, because the line between the sole and the upper resembled the Plimsoll Line on ships.

The bust was originally placed on Hotwell Road, next to the River Avon. It was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Bristol on 24 July 1962. The marble bust was provided by the Bristol City Museum, in whose collection it was held, for the purpose of creating the Plimsoll commemorative statue. In 2009 the bust was moved within Bristol to Capricorn Place, also on the banks of the River Avon.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The Bust of Samuel Plimsoll is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * HISTORIC INTEREST: Samuel Plimsoll, born in Bristol, was a social reformer, whose introduction of the 'Plimsoll Mark' significantly improved the safety of shipping by protecting against the overloading of ships. * HISTORIC ASSOCIATION: it sits in a prominent position on Bristol's harbour side, contributing to a significant location in nautical history as a commemoration of maritime reform.