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Statue of Edward Jenner, London

1858 sculpturesBronze sculptures in the United KingdomGrade II listed statues in the City of WestminsterKensington GardensMonuments and memorials in London
Outdoor sculptures in LondonSculptures of men in the United Kingdom
Statue of Edward Jenner geograph.org.uk 1452436
Statue of Edward Jenner geograph.org.uk 1452436

A statue of Edward Jenner, the physician, scientist and pioneer of the world's first vaccine, is located in Kensington Gardens in London. A work of the sculptor William Calder Marshall, the bronze was originally unveiled by Albert, Prince Consort in Trafalgar Square on 17 May 1858, before being moved to its present location in 1862. It is a Grade II listed building.The statue depicts Jenner in a seated position with one hand holding papers and is upon a plinth of Portland stone with Jenner's surname inscribed on a front panel of Aberdeen granite. At the base of the plinth is the inscription 'W. Calder Marshall, R. A. Sculpt. 1858'. A descriptive bronze plaque is set into the ground in front of the statue and it reads: Edward Jenner, MD, FRS, 1749–1823, country doctor who benefited mankind. In Jenner's time smallpox was a dreaded disease worldwide and caused many deaths particularly of children. Survivors were left badly scarred and often blinded or deformed. In 1796 Jenner vaccinated James Phipps with cowpox and showed that the boy was then immune to smallpox. He predicted the worldwide eradication of smallpox. This was finally achieved in 1980. Jenner was born, practised and died in Berkeley, Gloucestershire and studied at St. George's Hospital, London. This statue by William Calder Marshall RA was inaugurated by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, and was the first to be erected in Kensington Gardens in 1862. The cost was met by international subscription. In 1853, the year that United Kingdom legislated for compulsory vaccination, the sculptor Calder Marshall gained attention from the medical community for his bust of Jenner which was shown at The Great Exhibition in1851, and a public fund to establish a London memorial was launched. International donations were generous, but the British public were less supportive, and Caldwell Marshall was left 'seriously out of pocket'. Despite this, the finished statue, unveiled by Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, was a 'triumph for the vaccinationist cause'.The prominent memorial was opposed by anti-vaccinationists, but even more strongly by the military, as Trafalgar Square, in 1858, only included statues of notable military figures. As a newspaper at the time suggested '...the veterans of the Horse Guards and Admiralty were scandalised at the idea of a mere civilian, a doctor, having a place in such distinguished company, and moreover daring to be seated while his betters were standing'.Despite calls by The Times, and in Parliament, for Jenner's statue to be moved, with royal support it remained in place until two months after the death of the Prince Consort in December, 1861. In 1862, commenting on events, the British Medical Journal compared the military statues to Jenner, and noted that they remained in Trafalgar Square 'because they killed their fellow creatures whereas he only saved them'.A proposal to return the statue to a more prominent location was suggested in a letter to The Times in 1923, and again in 1937. In 2010, the 30th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox that began with Jenner's vaccine, a new campaign to return the statue to Trafalgar Square began.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Statue of Edward Jenner, London (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Statue of Edward Jenner, London
The Italian Gardens, London Paddington

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Statue of Edward Jenner

The Italian Gardens
W2 2UD London, Paddington
England, United Kingdom
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Statue of Edward Jenner geograph.org.uk 1452436
Statue of Edward Jenner geograph.org.uk 1452436
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Hyde Park Gardens
Hyde Park Gardens

Hyde Park Gardens, also known as Hyde Park Terrace consists of two roads running adjacent to the north western corner of Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London. Number 1 Hyde Park Gardens runs up to Number 23 with a large private communal garden and then the road separates to allow access to The Ring and into Hyde Park and the neighbouring Kensington Gardens. This section contains the High Commission of Sri Lanka. Numbers 24 to 31 continue on a private gated road also with their own communal gardens buffering them from the busy Bayswater Road. They are amongst the most exclusive properties on the northern side of Hyde Park and date from the early 19th century. Grand white stucco fronted houses now converted into equally grand flats. Access is strictly controlled via 24-hour porterage. Hyde Park Gardens is listed Grade II in two groups on the National Heritage List for England, as 1–24, and 25–38 are jointly listed with 22-35 Stanhope Terrace.An early resident of 18 Hyde Park Gardens was Maria Drummond, widow of Thomas Drummond and the adopted daughter of Richard "Conversation" Sharp. Here is a description of a party that took place there on 18 March 1844: ...Dined with the Bunburys. We left early & went to a party at Mrs Drummond's, which was very pleasant. Lady Morley was there, and Miss Lister, to whom she introduced me; Westmacott, whom I do not think Mrs Drummond – from her open praise of him - has an idea of marrying; the Sydney Smiths, Milmans, Mr Babbage, Faraday, Professor Wheatstone – who is a little man, young with spectacles, whom I should never have looked at had I not been told he was a lion. Faraday was there to look at the lamps, which are his own sort and consume their own smoke, and are twice as brilliant as any others. Mrs Drummond's house is quite lovely. Sydney Smith's idea is perfect – that the drawing room is the nearest thing to the Arabian Nights he ever saw. The walls are painted, the ceiling painted and gilt, the chairs white and gold, and looking glasses in all directions. Mrs Drummond was pleasant, as I think she generally is, and keeps her people well alive by always moving. The library, designed by the architect Decimus Burton, was said to be the most beautiful feature of this particular house, where Macaulay and Archbishop Whately were also welcome visitors, and a further description of the downstairs accommodation has also survived, as follows: The drawing room ceilings were painted in the 'Pompeian' manner, with a wealth of detail and a softness of colour which could be appreciated by looking into the tables of looking-glass provided for the purpose. Aubusson carpets, gilt chairs and sumptuous crimson brocade curtains completed the decoration. On the ground floor, a long library – fitted with birds-eye-maple book-cases and ornamented with Dresden china plaques, held Sharp's calf-bound books. Fine copies of classical bronzes stood on tables, and on the mantelpiece of rare Italian marble, and gave the room a somewhat learned and very pleasing appearance. Flowers from Fredley, sent up regularly by road, formed an important part of the decoration. Hyde Park Gardens Mews lies behind the houses and originally served as stables for Hyde Park Gardens.