News / Bristol
Sculptures unveiled to two of Bristol’s most famous sons
Two colossuses of the Victorian era bestrode Bristol in their respective fields of engineering and sport. The two men have now both been honoured with sculptures: one new, the other moved to a new location much more befitting of his status.
Isambard Kingdom Kingdom Brunel is best known for designing the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain, but he was also responsible for the Great Western Railway and another of his bridges currently lies marooned underneath the Cumberland Basin road system.
WG Grace was one of the world’s first sporting celebrities. He was Gloucestershire County Cricket Club’s first ever captain, having bought what is now the County Ground which was near his home in Ashley Down, and also played 22 Test matches for England, scoring 878 runs.
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Portsmouth-born Isambard Kingdom Brunel may not have called himself a Bristolian but he is certainly an adopted son; while WG Grace was born in Downend and lived in Clifton as well as Ashley Down.
Brunel’s statue has been moved from its original location of Temple Back East to a much more visible home on Station Approach at Temple Meads, while a new bust of Grace has been unveiled at the entrance to the Bristol Pavilion at the County Ground.
Brunel’s statue has been moved to outside his original 1840 station building – photo: Martin Booth
The bust is a re-cast of an original that was created in 1888 and is on display at Lord’s – photo: Gloucestershire Cricket
The statue of Brunel by John Doubleday was originally presented to Bristol by the Bristol & West Building Society and unveiled on Broad Quay in 1982, before being moved to Temple Quay in 2006.
The bronze bust of Grace, stood atop a plinth, is a re-cast of an original that was created in 1888 and which is on display in the MCC Museum at Lord’s.
Gloucestershire Cricket chief executive, Will Brown, said: “WG Grace is an iconic figure in the history of cricket and he played a massive part in making Gloucestershire the club it is today.
“We’re delighted to unveil this fitting tribute to him at the Bristol County Ground.”
Main photos: Gloucestershire Cricket and Martin Booth
Read more: Discovering a forgotten piece of cricketing history in Ashley Down
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