Statue Of James Steel

The Statue of James Steel, located on English Street in Carlisle, was created in 1859 by sculptor William Frederick Woodington for local subscribers. It features a base and plinth made of Dalbeattie granite, topped with a white marble figure. The square base includes four granite bollards at the corners. The stepped plinth is inscribed with "JAMES STEEL MAYOR 1845 AND 1846" in three lines. The statue depicts a larger-than-life, bare-headed figure dressed in breeches and a frock coat, holding a scrolled paper. The statue has been heavily weathered and was cleaned in 1989, although the left hand was broken off during its relocation to the current site on August 6, 1989. Originally, the statue was erected in the Market Place, and its unveiling was reported in the Carlisle Journal and illustrated in the Illustrated London News. James Steel was the editor of the Carlisle Journal, and Woodington was a notable 19th-century sculptor, known for his bronze relief of the Battle of the Nile at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.