Statue Of Robert Baden-Powell, London on:
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A statue of
The statue is made from Cornish granite, which is rare because granite is a difficult material to work with. Potter had been involved in the Scouting movement and Baden-Powell had been a patron of his, commissioning carved totem poles from him. The statue is a tall granite sculpture depicting an elderly Baden-Powell, dressed in his Scouting uniform and wearing a cape. Baden-Powell's arms are crossed in front of his waist. His left hand rests upon a walking stick or tree branch; his right hand rests upon his left wrist. His
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Scout Association, The Boy Scou ...
, the founder of Scouting
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
, formerly stood in front of Baden-Powell House
Queen's Gate House, still commonly known by its previous name of Baden-Powell House, is a conference centre in South Kensington, London. It was built as a tribute to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and has served as the headquarters ...
in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and is now at Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is The Scout Association's principal camp site and Scout Activity Centre, activity centre in the United Kingdom. It is a site, located in Essex in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey within Epping Forest near the border with ...
in Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, near Epping Forest
Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the Lond ...
. Carved from granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
by the sculptor Don Potter
Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher.
Early life
Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school ...
, it was installed and unveiled in 1961. It remained at Baden-Powell House until August 2021.
Background
The statue is made from Cornish granite, which is rare because granite is a difficult material to work with. Potter had been involved in the Scouting movement and Baden-Powell had been a patron of his, commissioning carved totem poles from him. The statue is a tall granite sculpture depicting an elderly Baden-Powell, dressed in his Scouting uniform and wearing a cape. Baden-Powell's arms are crossed in front of his waist. His left hand rests upon a walking stick or tree branch; his right hand rests upon his left wrist. His campaign hat
A campaign hat, sometimes called campaign cover, is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners. The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company ...
is tucked behind his right elbow, the brim held by the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. Below his neckerchief is his Bronze Wolf medal.
The statue was unveiled on 12 July 1961 by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...
, who was the President of the Scouts. The inscription on the plaque at the sculpture's base reads:
A preparatory model for the sculpture is in the collection of the Scouts Heritage Service, also in Gilwell Park.
See also
*Scouting memorials
Since the birth and expansion of the Scout movement in the first decade of the 20th century, many Scouting memorials, monuments and gravesites have been erected throughout the world.
Africa
Kenya
* Baden-Powell grave – Wajee Nature Park, Nyer ...
*Baden-Powell grave
The graves of Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, The 1st Baron Baden-Powell and his wife, Olave Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell, Olave, Baroness Baden-Powell, Dame Grand Cros ...
References
Further reading
*External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baden-Powell, Robert, statue, Gilwell Park 1961 establishments in the United Kingdom 1960 sculptures Granite sculptures in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials in the United Kingdom Outdoor sculptures in England Baden-Powell, Robert Scouting monuments and memorials Former buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea