52° 11’ 28.09” N
2° 13’ 11.76” W
elev. 31m
Field Report
September 3rd, 1651, evening....
A desperate Royalist cavalry charge down Sidbury Street and High Street, led by the Earl of Cleveland and Major Careless amongst others, allowed King Charles to escape the city by St. Martin's Gate. This cavalry force was composed of the few Midland English Royalists who had rallied to Charles II, and largely consisted of Lord Talbot's troop of horse.
The Battle of Worcester, Wikipedia.
Unlike the main battle site to the south of the city, the street fighting is not commemorated by either a plaque or a statue. Central Worcester, however, is not without its fair share of public statuary. The most striking of these is William Robert Colton's 'Boer War Memorial' (1908), situated next to the Cathedral. The quality of carving on most War Memorials tends to be dull and the posed figures stiff and formal. Colton was a sculptor of some renown and influenced by contemporary Parisian developments, particularly by Rodin. At the time critics praised his realism but were less enthusiastic concerning his 'fleshy style', which they regarded as with some suspicion as being too 'French', a quality one suspects they associated with voluptuousness. Both qualities are visible in the Worcester monument. The soldier is shown in an informal, crouched position resting his rifle lightly on his knee. He is bareheaded, his shirt sleeves rolled up and an ammunition belt slung over his shoulder. He looks more a desperado than a valiant imperial fighter. The figure of 'Immortality' stands above him, her curved wings protecting him as she stretches to place the laurel crown of victory on his tousled hair. Her gown is light and diaphanous and its wind-blown folds press against her torso revealing the form beneath. These are not sculptural qualities normally associated with a War Memorial.
The nearby Elgar statue, erected in 1979 to mark the composer's centenary, re-imposes the requisite level of dullness usually associated with public art. One slightly odd features is that Elgar's voluminous moustache gives him a distinct familial resemblance to the soldier on the Boer War memorial. I found this coincidence disconcerting. The most significant event to occur on these streets - the moment of the Royalists final defeat by Cromwell's army - is not directly commemorated, however its historical influence can be seen obliquely in the sculpture on the facade of the Guildhall, half way up the high street.
The present building was erected on the site of the medieval guildhall in 1722. It is referred to on the town's website as a 'handsome building in the Queen Anne style', which is partly true, the building is in Queen Anne style, and it features a statue of the Monarch enthroned on the gable. This is slightly odd, as George I had succeeded Anne to the throne some eight years earlier - so if we were going to be pedantic (which I am!) in fact the building dates from the early Georgian period. My theory as to why Worcester's city fathers may have chosen to commemorate the recently deceased queen has to do with distancing themselves from the Stuart claim to the throne expressed in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. Queen Anne is placed at the apex of the gable above statues of King Charles 1st on the left and his son, Charles II on the left. The ensemble asserts the the legitimacy of the succession of the house of Orange - and implicitly the House of Hanover which followed it. At the same time the Charles statues establish Worcester's royalist credentials by commemorating the king executed by the Parliamentarians, and his son, who may have fled Worcester in 1651 to exile, but ultimately triumphed nine years later - crowned Charles II following the Restoration.
Given the importance of these events I do think it is a pity that it a an imperial war in South Africa that is commemorated on the streets of Worcester not the momentous events of the evening of September 3rd 1651. It needs its own monument.
The nearby Elgar statue, erected in 1979 to mark the composer's centenary, re-imposes the requisite level of dullness usually associated with public art. One slightly odd features is that Elgar's voluminous moustache gives him a distinct familial resemblance to the soldier on the Boer War memorial. I found this coincidence disconcerting. The most significant event to occur on these streets - the moment of the Royalists final defeat by Cromwell's army - is not directly commemorated, however its historical influence can be seen obliquely in the sculpture on the facade of the Guildhall, half way up the high street.
The present building was erected on the site of the medieval guildhall in 1722. It is referred to on the town's website as a 'handsome building in the Queen Anne style', which is partly true, the building is in Queen Anne style, and it features a statue of the Monarch enthroned on the gable. This is slightly odd, as George I had succeeded Anne to the throne some eight years earlier - so if we were going to be pedantic (which I am!) in fact the building dates from the early Georgian period. My theory as to why Worcester's city fathers may have chosen to commemorate the recently deceased queen has to do with distancing themselves from the Stuart claim to the throne expressed in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. Queen Anne is placed at the apex of the gable above statues of King Charles 1st on the left and his son, Charles II on the left. The ensemble asserts the the legitimacy of the succession of the house of Orange - and implicitly the House of Hanover which followed it. At the same time the Charles statues establish Worcester's royalist credentials by commemorating the king executed by the Parliamentarians, and his son, who may have fled Worcester in 1651 to exile, but ultimately triumphed nine years later - crowned Charles II following the Restoration.
Given the importance of these events I do think it is a pity that it a an imperial war in South Africa that is commemorated on the streets of Worcester not the momentous events of the evening of September 3rd 1651. It needs its own monument.
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| © Copyright Rod Allday and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence |
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| © Copyright Bob Embleton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence |
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