Edward Simeon
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The Simeon Monument, also known as the Soane Obelisk, the Soane Monument and the Simeon Obelisk, is a stone structure in Market Place, the former site of the market in
Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...
. It was commissioned by Edward Simeon, a Reading-born merchant who became extremely wealthy as a
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
trader. Edward Simeon's brother,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, was a former Member of Parliament for
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who had lost his seat in the 1802 elections to the parliament of the newly created
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...
, since which time the family had been engaged in ostentatious spending locally in an effort to gain support among the town's voters. Although
street lighting A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...
had been installed in Reading in 1797, the system used was one of lamps attached to the sides of buildings and as a consequence open spaces remained unlit. In 1804 Simeon persuaded the
Mayor of Reading The Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, currently has a largely ceremonial mayor. The mayor is responsible for chairing full council meetings as well as representing the council at events, welcoming guests and visiting local o ...
that it would be of benefit to erect a structure in Market Place, which would serve both to carry lamps to light the area and to improve the flow of traffic in the area, and volunteered to pay for such a structure himself. Simeon commissioned local architect
John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor ...
to design a suitable structure. Soane designed an unusual triangular structure, high and built of
Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...
. It had no official unveiling or opening ceremony, but the stonework was complete by September 1804. The structure was immediately controversial, denounced within weeks of its opening as "a paltry gew-gaw thing without use, or name", built by Simeon to promote himself rather than for the public benefit. In early 1805 Simeon donated an
annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...
of 3% interest on £1000 to pay for the lamps on the obelisk to be lit in perpetuity. By 1900 a cabmen's shelter had been erected next to the monument, and in 1933 underground
public toilets A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...
had been built alongside it. Although Simeon had stipulated that the lamps were to remain lighted forever, by this time the lamps were no longer operational, having been replaced by baskets of flowers in 1911. Although the monument was
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
in 1956, by this time it was becoming extremely dilapidated. The market was relocated away from Market Place in the 1970s, and the obelisk avoided demolition primarily owing to lobbying by admirers of Soane, as it was the last surviving structure in Reading to have been designed by him. In 2005, Reading Borough Council agreed to landscape Market Place and to renovate the Simeon Monument. The now-disused toilets and other structures around the monument were removed, and the monument itself was restored to its former condition.


Background

The town of
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
is at the confluence of the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
and
River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which â ...
, approximately west of London. The settlement has existed since at least the
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
period, it became a prominent town in 1121 following the foundation of
Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, ...
. Located on the Great West Road, the main route connecting London to
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and
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, and with the Thames providing direct shipping routes to London and
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, the city grew prosperous and became a major industrial centre, particularly noted for its
iron production Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's oute ...
and
breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
, as well as a major
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
for the surrounding area. Market Place in Reading was a large triangular piece of open land, surrounded by shops, which since the twelfth century had been the site of Reading's market. The
Borough Corporation Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned c ...
maintained the area, in return for a tax of one pint of
corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
from each sack sold. While the outdoor market in Market Place had traditionally specialised in dairy produce, meat and poultry, the sale of these items had been moved to a nearby purpose-built
market hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...
in 1800, leaving Market Place dealing with trade in grain, fruit, vegetables and "colonial or manufactured articles"; Reading was considered one of the cheapest places in the country to buy imported and manufactured items. By the early nineteenth century, around 200 wagons of produce would arrive in Reading on busy market days. Although Reading had introduced
street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...
ing in 1797, this system did not use lamp posts and instead consisted of
oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. The ...
s attached to the walls of buildings. As a consequence, open areas such as Market Place remained unlit other than around their edges.


John Soane

upJohn Soane
John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor ...
(from 1831 Sir John Soane) was a local architect, born in nearby Goring in 1753 and educated at William Baker's Academy in Reading. After a successful early career designing
country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
s, on 16 October 1788 he was appointed architect and surveyor to the
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...
. In addition to his work for the Bank of England he continued to design other buildings, including in 1789 a brewery in Bridge Street, Reading, and in 1796 a house for Lancelot Austwick, who was to become
Mayor of Reading The Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, currently has a largely ceremonial mayor. The mayor is responsible for chairing full council meetings as well as representing the council at events, welcoming guests and visiting local o ...
in 1803.


Edward Simeon

Edward Simeon (1755–1812) was a Reading-born merchant, who became extremely wealthy as a
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
trader. From 1792 he was a director of the Bank of England. Although he lived in London, in Salvadore House on White Hart Court, he maintained links with Reading. His 1792 wedding took place there, and he regularly donated clothing to the poor children of the town. The Simeon family were prominent in the town; John Simeon, brother to Edward, was the
Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...
of Reading and a
Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician who had been elected MP for the town in the
1796 British general election The 1796 British general election returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain. They were summoned before the Union of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. The members in office in Gr ...
, lost his seat in the 1802 election to the parliament of the newly created United Kingdom, and successfully regained the seat in the 1806 general election. John Simeon was a controversial and reactionary figure who opposed the poor being taught arithmetic or writing, and following his defeat in 1802 the Simeon family had been engaged in ostentatious efforts to curry favour with the approximately 300 men who were entitled to vote in Reading's elections. Concerned about the appearance of the Market Place and the congestion caused by traffic passing through it, Simeon wrote to Lancelot Austwick, the Mayor of Reading, on 24 January 1804: Austwick approved Simeon's plan, and John Soane was approached to design an obelisk with the dual purpose of acting as an obstruction to prevent wagons driving across Market Place, and holding four lamps to illuminate the area.


Design and construction

Soane's initial design was based on an unbuilt
Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
structure Soane had designed for
Norwich Market Norwich Market (also known as Norwich Provision Market) is an Market square, outdoor market consisting of around 200 market stall, stalls in central Norwich, England. Founded in the latter part of the 11th century to supply Normans, N ...
, comprising a square base with
Ionic column The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...
s supporting a
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...
and four lamps on diagonally-set piers; the cupola would in turn be topped with a
caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; , ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris (mythology), Iris, the messenger of Hera. The s ...
. He soon rejected this shape in favour of an unconventional triangular design. It is unrecorded why he made this choice; Sowan (2007) speculates that it may have been inspired by triangular Roman lamps Soane had seen on a recent visit to
Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...
, although it is more likely to be a response to the triangular shape of Market Place itself. His final design was a mixture of differing architectural styles, and consisted of a triangular base with each corner supporting a
wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...
lamp, surrounding a fluted three-sided
Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...
column, which in turn supported a stone cylinder topped with a bronze or copper
pinecone A conifer cone, or in formal botany, botanical usage a strobilus, : strobili, is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants, especially in conifers and cycads. They are usually woody and variously conic, cylindrical, ovoid, to globular, and hav ...
. In total, the structure was to be tall. In May 1804 the Borough Corporation approved Simeon and Soane's scheme, although the proposed metal pinecone was replaced with a pinecone in carved stone, and by 20 July Soane was in Reading supervising construction. Robert Spiller was paid £310 3/– (about £ in terms) to build the structure.
Bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...
J Lovegrove built the brick core of the base, James Marshall was
stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
, and Thomas Russell the
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
. The base of the structure was adorned with a large metal plaque reading: On the remaining two sides are bronze works, one consisting of the arms of Simeon, the other showing a crowned head surrounded by four uncrowned heads. The corner columns bear carved
fasces A fasces ( ; ; a , from the Latin word , meaning 'bundle'; ) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, often but not always including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etrus ...
.


Completion

There was no unveiling ceremony for the monument and the date its lamps were first lit is not recorded, but the stonework was complete by the time Soane inspected it on 3 September 1804. The first recorded mention of the completed monument comes in a report of a dinner hosted on 10 September 1804 by Reading's MP Charles Shaw-Lefevre, reporting that "Mr Monck was remarkably happy in his allusion to a certain newly erected monument, by observing that some gentlemen endeavoured to ingratiate themselves with the Electors by raising monuments of stone, and having their transitory names emblazoned on them in brass, but that his friend raised a more lasting monument, in the breasts and hearts of his constituents". The monument proved immediately controversial; a letter published in the '' Reading Mercury'' on 24 September accused Simeon of attempting to "bias the heads of the Borough in his favour by setting up in the market-place a paltry gew-gaw thing without use, or name", and stating that "Some denominate it an obelisk, others a pillar, but among the generality of the inhabitants it is called a p****** post", referring to its use as an object to urinate on. At this time the lamps were not yet in place, and it is possible that the anonymous critic (likely to have been local historian John Man) was not aware that the structure was intended as a lamp-post to illuminate the market, and thought that Simeon had erected the column as a monument to himself. The triangular base of the monument has shallow recesses on each side, the railings surrounding it had not yet been installed, and as the lamps were not yet operational these recesses would have offered a degree of privacy, so it is likely that the anonymous author was correct in asserting that at that time the structure was being used as an impromptu urinal. During the planning and construction of the monument, Edward Simeon had commissioned what he described as "a variety of experiments ... to produce the most effectual and brilliant light". On 17 January 1805, with the monument now in place, he wrote to George Gilbertson, the Mayor of Reading, advising that: The lamps themselves, along with their supports, were supplied by John Neville of
Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
in London. Neville died before being fully paid for the lamps and supports, and Simeon neglected to pay his heirs. On 18 August 1809, following Neville's death, his brother threatened to attach a second plaque to the structure reading "Edward Simeon Esq, of Salvadore House Accepted from William Neville of Fleet Street £20.9s.7d as a small donation towards the expense of erecting his obelisk ''in commemoration of his name'' for the work and expenses attending the same performed by his late brother John Neville 416 Strand London". In January 1810 Soane and Simeon each paid half of the outstanding sum to William Neville; Neville returned both cheques, requesting that Simeon donate his share of the sum to a local charity in Reading and that Soane keep his share to do with as he wished. While some welcomed the erection of the obelisk, others questioned its use and practicality, and were sceptical of Simeon's motives in funding it. Some felt its design was inappropriate, and as early as September 1804 an anonymous correspondent to the ''Reading Mercury'' described it as "A spruce pedestal of Wedgwood Ware, where motley arms and tawdry emblems glare", and sarcastically referred to the monument as "the eighth wonder of the world". John Man, describing Market Place in his 1810 ''A Stranger in Reading'', wrote that: Although Man disliked the Simeon Monument, he was nonetheless an admirer of Soane, whom he described in the same book as "one of London's first architects ... whose numerous works, in the city ondon and other parts of the kingdom, are convincing proofs of his superior abilities, in a line which has yet to boast of very few masters". The structure was never officially named, and since its erection has been referred to as the "Simeon Monument", "Soane Monument", "Simeon Obelisk" and "Soane Obelisk" interchangeably. As it was built to illuminate the market and divert the flow of traffic, rather than to officially commemorate any person or event, it is not strictly a monument; as it is a triangular rather than a square structure, it is not technically an obelisk; it was commissioned by Simeon and designed by Soane. Its listing on the National Heritage List for England describes it as the Simeon Monument, as does Soane's biographer Dorothy Stroud, while Adam Sowan's ''A Mark of Affection'' (2007) describes it as the "Soane Obelisk", on the grounds that " oane'sgreater fame has no doubt saved it from demolition, and obelisk ... is what Simeon asked for".


Later developments

Edward Simeon died on 14 December 1812 in
Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...
, "cut off prematurely with a peculiar and distressing malady". He left £4715 (about £ in terms) to local causes in his will. The £1000
annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...
at 3% which Edward Simeon had gifted in 1805 for the maintenance of the lamps proved more than was needed to keep the lighting operational following the conversion of the lamps to cheaper
gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...
in the 1840s and was unnecessary after the lamps were removed in 1911. In 1883 Simeon's bequest was transferred to the Official Trustee, with the dividends continuing to be used to pay for gas to the lamps. The surpluses were diverted to other local causes such as illuminating Market Place's clock. In the mid 1840s, Neville's oil lamps were replaced by cheaper gas lamps, supported by heavier brackets; these in turn were replaced by tall lamp posts affixed to the ground rather than the monument itself in 1890. In 1911 the lamps were shut down and replaced with baskets of flowers. Although the original railings surrounding the structure had been an elaborate design of
palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...
s alternating with flame palmettes, by 1880 these had been replaced by railings of a more austere and functional design. By 1900 a cabmen's shelter had been constructed next to the monument, later used as a hut the attendants of a
car park A parking lot or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface. In most jurisdic ...
opened next to the obelisk to serve the market. Underground public toilets were installed adjacent to the obelisk in 1933.


Dilapidation and renovation

In 1956 the monument was
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
. By this time, the structure was severely dilapidated, and described as "effectively ruined". In 1965 responsibility for the monument was transferred to Reading Borough Council. In 1971 the baskets of flowers hanging from the disused lamp brackets were removed, and electric light bulbs in mock gas lamps installed, while in the mid-1970s the market itself was relocated across the town centre to Hosier Street, near its original site prior to its relocation to Market Place in the twelfth century. In 1981 the car park was closed, and in 1985 wheelchair-accessible toilets were erected next to the entrance to the underground toilets, clad in Portland stone to blend in with the Simeon Monument. By this time, the Monument was dilapidated and had survived demolition mainly through lobbying by admirers of Soane; a 2003 profile of the structure in the ''
Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'' described this "strange, tripodal stalk of limestone" as "a rather clumsy bit of masonry, revered by Soane fans, ignored by everyone else". Although Soane's designs had become unpopular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and most of his buildings had been demolished or significantly altered, following his championing by
Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...
from the 1950s onwards attitudes began to slowly change. In 2005, following pressure from the Soane Monuments Trust, Reading Council agreed to landscape Market Place, removing the now-disused toilets and their airshaft and other structures surrounding the obelisk, and commissioning Julian Harrap to restore the monument itself. Following works costing a total of approximately £60,000 (£15,000 of which was provided by the Soane Monument Trust), the renovated monument was unveiled on 18 December 2007. By this time, the monument was the last surviving structure in Reading to have been designed by Soane.


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

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External links

{{Use British English, date=October 2015 Grade II* listed buildings in Reading Street lighting Simeon family