B.
Who watches the watchmen?
Behind the scenes
John Robert Godley (1814–1861) and William Rolleston (1831–1903), two key players in the history of Christchurch, both tumbled off their perches on 22 February.
Rolleston, carved in marble by Herbert Hampton, was unveiled on 26 May, 1906 and remained on his plinth outside the Canterbury Museum looking up Worcester Street until 22 February.
Both sculptures are now in safe hands and plans are underway to conserve and eventually restore them to their original positions where they can continue to keep watch over the city.
Thomas Woolner John Robert Godley 1866. Bronze
And both ended up in undignified positions that were quite an unsettling sight.
Godley, often referred to as the 'founding father of Canterbury' was immortalised in this bronze statue by Thomas Woolner, unveiled in Cathedral Square on 8 August, 1867. Apart from being removed to make way for a tram stop and toilets between 1918 and 1933 he has stood fast, overlooking the entrance to the Cathedral until nature intervened.
Herbert Hampton William Rolleston 1905. Marble
Related
Collection
Grace Butler On the Beach, New Brighton
Grace Butler was totally committed to painting en plein air, or outdoors, to truly sense and represent the atmospheres that light provided; she would even paint in the snow, placing her feet in boxes and getting her children to rotate hot water bottles and blankets to keep her warm. Completed when she was just two years out of art school and revealing her awareness of the international movement of impressionism, On the Beach, New Brighton reflects Butler’s own thoughts on the light and atmosphere where she lived.
(Endless Light, 29 June 2019 – 8 March 2020)