Civil Rights Memorial: Buxton Memorial - London England

Interesting Places I've Photographed

Buxton Memorial

London England

Topic: Civil Rights Memorial

GPS: N51° 29.768; W000° 07.486

Quick Description: 

Buxton Memorial Drinking Fountain is located in the Victoria Tower Gardens in London, England

Long Description:

This beautifully complex former drinking fountain has served to commemorate the emancipation of slaves, the 1807 Act abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Anti-Slavery Society. Originally, it was erected in 1835, in Parliament Square as a public drinking fountain, to commemorate the one year anniversary the emancipation of the slaves in 1834, following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which abolished slavery in the British Empire. The inscription on a ground level plaque gives the details of this commemoration.

 
ERECTED IN 1835
BY
CHARLES BUXTON, M.P.
IN COMMEMORATION OF
THE EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES 1834
AND IN MEMORY OF HIS FATHER
SIR T. FOWELL BUXTON
AND THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH HIM
WILBERFORCE, CLARKSON, MACAULAY, BROUGHAM
DR LUSHINGTON AND OTHERS
In 1957 the Buxton Memorial was moved from Parliament Square to its present location in the Victoria Tower Gardens to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1807 Act abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

A second ground level plaque was added in 1989 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Anti-Slavery Society. The plaque is inscribed:

THIS PLAQUE
COMMEMORATES THE
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY
1839 - 1989
The memorial was restored and unveiled on March 27, 2007, this time to commemorate 200th anniversary of the passing of the 1807 Act abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

A sign next to the memorial gives the details of the design and various commemorations.

The Buxton Memorial

The Buxton memorial was erected to commemorate the
emancipation of slaves following the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.

The memorial was donated by charles Buxton MP in memory
of his father, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, and those associated
with him in the struggle for abolition of slavery in the British
colonies.

It was originally sited in Parliament Square, but later removed
and erected in Victoria Tower Gardens in 1957 to mark the 150th
anniversary of the 1807 Act abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave
trade.

Designed by S.S. Teulon in the Gothic style, the spire is timber
framed and clad with enamelled sheet steel. Many different
materials and decorative techniques are used, including grey
and pink granite, limestone, grey and red sandstone, rosso
marble enamelled metalwork, wrought iron, mosaic and
terracotta.

Following extensive restoration by The Royal Parks, the memorial
was unveiled on 27th March 2007 to commemorate the 200th
anniversary of the passing of the 1807 Act.