9363 x 4122 px | 79,3 x 34,9 cm | 31,2 x 13,7 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
5 décembre 2019
Lieu:
Warrington Borough Council, Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington,Cheshire,England,UK, WA1 1UH.
Informations supplémentaires:
Queen Victoria and the Oliver Cromwell statue The gates were made for the International Exhibition of 1862, and then intended for Queen Victoria’s Sandringham home in Norfolk. The Queen was meant to see them for the first time at the exhibition but, clearly visible through the gates, was a statue of Oliver Cromwell. As Cromwell had signed King Charles I’s death warrant, royalty didn’t like him very much. The Queen’s courtiers realised she wouldn’t be amused to see the statue, and diverted her. Coalbrookdale found it hard to find a buyer for such grand gates, so Monks was able to buy and bring them to Warrington to stand at the front of the town hall lawn. Monks also presented the cast iron Cromwell statue, designed by John Bell, to Warrington in 1899. It now stands on Bridge Street and is Grade II Listed. The design Because the owner was supposed to be Queen Victoria, the gates have four winged figures of Nike, the goddess of victory. They also had a Prince of Wales motif above the arch in the middle, but this was changed to Warrington’s Coat of Arms. The grand opening Such grand gates needed a grand opening. So on Warrington Walking Day, 28 June 1895, Monks ceremoniously opened the gates with a golden key and the church groups set off from the town hall lawn, through the gates and on to their walk. The iconic golden gates are Grade II* Listed, along with the gate piers and the lamps which line the driveways at either side of the town hall. They are also part of the Town Hall Conservation Area. The gates have recently been refurbished to repair, enhance and preserve them for future generations
