Third Marquess of Londonderry statue

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 18 Oct 2022

At the top end of the Market Square is the Grade II* listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1120630?section=official-list-entry statue of the Third Marquess of Londonderry. This equestrian statue is set within a paved area at the south end of the Market Place. It comprises a three-stepped sandstone base supporting a high, bow-end sandstone pedestal upon which stands a 4.7m tall copper statue of the Third Marquess of Londonderry, army officer and diplomat; this is an heroic size figure in hussar uniform on a rearing horse. The inscription, incised in capitals on a granite plaque, commemorates Charles William Vane Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Lord Lieutenant of Durham and founder of Seaham Harbour. It reads: CHARLES WILLIAM VANE STEWART 3RD MARQUIS OF LONDONDERRY 1ST EARL VANE AND BARON STEWART OF STEWARTS COURT K.G.G.C.B. LORD LIEUTENANT COUNTY OF DURHAM AND FOUNDER OF SEAHAM HARBOUR GENERAL IN THE ARMY BORN MAY 8TH 1778 DIED MARCH 6TH 1854. A second metal plaque commemorates the restoration of the statue in 1952 and reads: THIS PLAQUE WAS UNVEILED ON THE 9TH DAY OF APRIL, 1952 BY THE EIGHTH MARQUESS OF LONDONDERRY TO COMMEMORATE THE RESTORATION OF THE STATUE FROM FUNDS RAISED BY THE CITY COUNCIL SOURCES The statue was commissioned by The Third Marquess's widow Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, to honour her husbands service to the county of Durham. By 1858 the memorial committee had received £2000 pounds and recommended a double life size equestrian statue by Milanese sculptor Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881), now resident in London. The statue was cast in c.1858 and it is considered to be the largest ever piece produced using the electro-plating process. The casting is thought to have been carried out by the London Firm Elkington & Co, who were awarded the first electro-plating patents in 1840, and by the mid-C19 were established as the leading silver and electroplate company in the world. This was a relatively new process in which pure copper was built up on moulds using electro plating which enabled greater detailing to be used. The statue was unveiled in the Market Place, Durham on 2 December 1861 and those attending included Disraeli and Monti. It is believed that the inscription was added some years later. The statue was restored in London in 1951 and again in 2009-10, after which it was replaced 16m south of its original position in the Market Place.

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