It has recently been announced that statues in George Square will be removed as redevelopment work is set to be carried out on the square.
Glasgow City Council are seeking specialists on the restoration of the square’s 11 landmark statues which we have taken a closer look at.
An announcement stated: “After this market engagement exercise, the council will then look to recruit the contractors to carry out the restoration work, a key stage in the wider regeneration of the Glasgow’s main civic space. “The notice for the statue experts has now been issued and is the next stage in the project’s progress, with the transformational plans now approaching their final planning hurdle.”
People will all have their own opinions on the current statues in the square with our readers previously getting back to us with their suggestions of who deserves a statue in the square.
1. Sir Robert Peel
Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel entered parliament as a Tory in 1809. As Home Secretary from 1822, he was instrumental in the reform of the criminal law and in 1829 he introduced into London the improved Police which he had established in Ireland. The decision to erect a monument to Sir Robert Peel in Glasgow was made at a public meeting in the Trades Hall. The statue was erected in June 1859.
2. William Ewart Gladstone
Four times Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone was born in Liverpool and began his parliamentary career in 1832. The unveiling of the statue took place in October 1902 with the ceremony being performed by Earl of Rosebery. The statue was moved to its current location in 1923 during the construction of the Cenotaph.
3. James Oswald
James Oswald was one of the first Glasgow MPS to the reformed parliament in 1831. The statue was unveiled in 1856 in Charing Cross, with Marochetti's statue being moved to George Square in 1875.
4. Dr. Thomas Graham
Dr. Thomas Graham was a brilliant experimental chemist who was born in Glasgow in 1805. He was educated at the High School of Glasgow and went on to become a student at the University of Glasgow in 1819. His statue was gifted by James (Paraffin) Young with it being designed by William Brodie and erected in George Square in in 1872.