Statues - Hither & Thither

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Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk
East of England

Cornhill 15
(WH Smiths, originally Boots)

Four Kings and a Roman General

Michael Vyne Treleaven
1910

Description

Facade with four statues in niches and a fifth figure on a relief:

[AGRICOLA] (name lost) Gnaeus Julius Agricola (13 - 93), Gallo-Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain (Wikipedia).
St. EDMUND - St Edmund (died 869), king of East Anglia from about 855; by tradition he met his death at an unidentified place known as Haegelisdun, after he refused the Danes' demand that he renounce Christ: the Danes beat him, shot him with arrows and then beheaded him (Wikipedia).
EDWARD.I - King Edward I (Westminster Palace 1239 - Burgh by Sands 1307), King of England, 1272-1307 (Wikipedia).
EDWARD.VI - King Edward VI (Hampton Court Palace 1537 - Greenwich Palace 1553), King of England, 1547-1553 (Wikipedia).

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2
3
4

and under the central gable.
CANUTE REBUKING HIS FLATTERES (text in wooden beam below the relief). King Cnut, sitting on his throne surrounded by his councillors.
Cnut the Great, (c. 985 or 995 - 1035), more commonly known as Canute, king of Denmark, England, Norway, and parts of Sweden, together often referred to as the Anglo-Scandinavian or North Sea Empire (Wikipedia).

Annotation

Boots expanded their shops dramatically in the period 1900-1915 and introduced a black and white Tudor style for shops on prominent sites, probably designed by Treleaven, including 'Venetian' oriel windows, mock timber framing and statues of prominent historic figures.

Sculptor

Michael Vyne Treleaven (1850-1934), Nottingham architect, was from 1900 in charge of Boots Building and Shop fitting Department. Designed many shops for Sir Jesse Boot (Boots the Chemists) including Winchester, Exeter, and Newcastle.

Sources & Information

BBC Made in Engand, Suffolk's sculptures.
Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk & Suffolk, Around Bury St Edmunds (PDF on-line).

Locatie (N 52°14'45" - E 0°42'42") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbee038; Photograph: 7 June 2014
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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