Grey's Monument

Grey's Monument is a Grade I listed monument to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey built in 1838 in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was erected to acclaim Earl Grey for the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832 and stands at the head of Grey Street. It consists of a statue of Lord Grey standing atop a Roman Doric column on a pedestal of local sandstone, 135-foot-high (41 m) in total. The column was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green, and the statue was created by the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (creator of Nelson's statue in Trafalgar Square).[1] It was paid for by public subscription.[2]

Grey's Monument
Grey's Monument
Grey's Monument closeup
Location in Tyne and Wear
Coordinates54.973°N 1.613°W / 54.973; -1.613
grid reference NZ248643
LocationTyne and Wear, England, UK

In July 1941, during World War II, the head of the statue was knocked off by a bolt of lightning.[3] In 1947, sculptor Roger Hedley (the son of painter Ralph Hedley[4]) created a new head based on the preserved fragments of the original.[5]

The monument lends its name to Monument Metro station, a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro located directly underneath, to the Monument Mall Shopping Centre and to the Monument local authority ward. The surrounding area is simply known as Monument.

A spiral staircase leads to a viewing platform at the top of the monument, which is occasionally opened to the public.[6] Old photographs indicate that the monument was originally on a traffic island and was surrounded by railings.[7] These railings are no longer present, and the area around the monument is now pedestrianised and is home to many shops, some independent and some up-scale designer boutiques.

The wide base of the monument is a popular spot for people-watching, and often acts as a venue for buskers, religious speakers and political activists/protesters. The Maxïmo Park song By the Monument refers to Grey's Monument and the line "By the monument you hear, man is screaming through a megaphone;'Get your hands off the Middle East'" in the song Play God by Sam Fender is an apparent reference to Grey's Monument.

The Monument is in the Monument electoral ward of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne Central.

Inscription

The main inscription[8] on the pedestal reads:

THIS COLUMN WAS ERECTED IN 1838
TO COMMEMORATE
THE SERVICES RENDERED TO HIS COUNTRY BY
CHARLES EARL GREY K.G.
WHO, DURING AN ACTIVE POLITICAL CAREER OF
NEARLY HALF A CENTURY
WAS THE CONSTANT ADVOCATE OF PEACE
AND THE FEARLESS AND CONSISTENT CHAMPION OF
CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
HE FIRST DIRECTED HIS EFFORTS TO THE AMENDMENT
OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE IN 1792,
AND WAS THE MINISTER
BY WHOSE ADVICE, AND UNDER WHOSE GUIDANCE,
THE GREAT MEASURE OF PARLIAMENTARY REFORM
WAS AFTER AN ARDUOUS AND PROTRACTED STRUGGLE
SAFELY AND TRIUMPHANTLY ACHIEVED
IN THE YEAR 1832.

And on the opposite face is a later inscription:

AFTER A CENTURY OF CIVIL PEACE,
THE PEOPLE RENEW
THEIR GRATITUDE TO THE AUTHOR
OF THE GREAT REFORM BILL.
1932.

References
  1. GRAINGER TOWN, Greys Monument, Edward Hodges Baily, retrieved 26 July 2010, His statue by sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (also responsible for Nelson’s Column) tops a column, Grey’s Monument, of 19m. It has remained a favourite meeting place since it was unveiled in 1838.
  2. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/18-things-you-probably-never-13578771
  3. "PMSA". PMSA. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  4. "Roger Hedley". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  5. Pickford-Jones, Tim. "Grey's Monument". Timmonet. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  6. "It's the weekend: find your heritage!". Sunderland Echo. 9 September 2004. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  7. Manders, Frank (1995). Newcastle upon Tyne: A Selection of the Earliest Photographs. Newcastle City Libraries and Arts. p. 31. ISBN 1-85795-017-8.
  8. Charleton, R.J. (n.d.). A history of Newcastle-on-Tyne from the earliest records to its formation as a city. London: Walter Scott Ltd.
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