''Pope's Urn'', on Champion's Wharf at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

riverside in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

, is a contemporary piece of

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

inspired by the poetry of 18th-century Twickenham resident

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

, who is buried in the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

that overlooks the wharf. It consists of a stylised

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

on a

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

, both made in

corten steel Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys that form a stable external layer of rust that eliminates the need for painti ...

and standing just over eight-foot (2.5 metres) high, surrounded by wooden benches inscribed with

aphorisms An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

written by Pope. It was commissioned to celebrate the

2015 Rugby World Cup The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...

, for which

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

was one of the venues, and was opened in a ceremony on 21 September 2015. ''Pope's Urn'' was the initiative of Twickenham resident Graham Henderson as public art consultant for the London-based arts charity

Poet in the City Poet in the City is a London-based arts organisation founded in 1998 as a project of the Poetry Society; it became an independent charity in 2006. Poet in the City collaborates with partners from the arts and beyond, from the Barbican Centre, ...

. Henderson conceived the project and worked in partnership with Richmond upon Thames Council, and the architectural design practice

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (also known as FCBStudios) is a British architectural design firm, established in 1978, with offices in Bath, London and Manchester. The firm is known for its pioneering work in sustainable design and social design ...

, to design, build and install it. It was unveiled by

Lord True Nicholas Edward True, Baron True, (born 31 July 1951) is a British Conservative politician who served as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal between September 2022 and July 2024. He has been a member of the House of ...

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of Richmond Council, in a ceremony which included readings from Pope's works by the actor John Hannah, who is a local resident, and by the actress Dame

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...

. The sculpture is based on drawings that have survived of an urn designed by Alexander Pope for a friend's garden at

Hagley Hall Hagley Hall is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade I listed 18th-century house in Hagley, Worcestershire, the home of the Lyttelton family. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton, George, 1st Lord Lytte ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

. The original urn no longer exists.

Gallery

File:Lord True unveiling the urn.jpg,

unveiling ''Pope's Urn'' at Champion's Wharf, Twickenham, 21 September 2015 File:Pope's Urn benches, with St Mary's in the background.jpg, ''Pope's Urn'' benches, with

St Mary's Church, Twickenham St Mary's Church, Twickenham, also known as St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham, is a Grade II* listed Church of England place of worship dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin. It is on Church Street, Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon ...

, in the background File:To err is human.jpg, To err is human... File:Fools rush in.jpg,

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread ''An Essay on Criticism'' is one of the first major poems written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688–1744), published in 1711. It is the source of the famous quotations " To err is human; to forgive, divine", "A little learning is a d ...

File:Hope springs eternal.jpg, Hope springs eternal... File:Dangerous thing.jpg, A little learning is a dangerous thing File:To wake the soul.jpg, To wake the soul... File:Pope's Urn overhead.jpg, Overhead view

References

External links

*
Twickenham Museum: Alexander Pope
{{coord, 51.446609, -0.324584, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 2015 establishments in England 2015 Rugby World Cup 2015 sculptures Aphorisms Outdoor sculptures in London Public art in London Works by Alexander Pope

Gallery

See also

References

External links