Shakespeare Memorial

Have you ever driven or walked past something and not ever really taken notice that it is there?
Well that is the case with the next statue I am featuring.
I have passed this statue many times but it wasn't until I participated in the public art walk that I finally took notice of what and who it was of.
It could be because of it's position in the middle of a roadway where you don't walk past it easily.

That particular piece of public art  is The Shakespeare Memorial on Shakespeare Place across from the Mitchell Library.

                                                               Romeo and Juliet    Hamlet                              

                                                                         Portia                              Falstaff

                                                                            Shakespeare


It has 5 well known Shakespearean characters around the base with a life size statue of Shakespeare at the top.

The sculptor was Sir Bertram MacKennal  and was unveiled in 1926. In future posts I will highlight another of Sir Bertram's sculptures.

In 1959 the statue was repositioned to make way for the Cahill Expressway.

A Popular Governor

Around the corner from an explorer and his cat is the statue of Governor Richard Bourke.
Found in front of the State Library, eastern side of Macquarie St Sydney, it is one of the first statues erected in Australia.

Governor Bourke, an Irishman was the 8th Governor of the colony and a very popular one by all accounts. He was instrumental in introducing the "trial by jury" system which replaced the military justice system which had been in place since 1788.
 

 He also made a fairer system of granting land by stopping free land grants and putting land up for auction  and  if less than five shillings was offered, it was not sold or if the offers rose above that price it was given to the highest bidder. This was regarded as a very fair arrangement, and as a large number of money was annually received from the sale of the land, the Government was able to resume the practice , discontinued in 1818, of assisting poor people in Europe to emigrate to the colony.

A popular Governor who was sorely missed by the colony.

Statues, Public Art, Sculptures

A few years ago I participated in a Public Art Walking tour with Dr Nicholas Hardwick in and around the Royal Botanic Gardens. I enjoyed the tour and have recently revisited the walk and taken photos of all the various pieces we looked at along the way.

You might recognise some of the pieces but also find some new ones along the way.

The first statue is of  navigator, chart maker and explorer Matthew Flinders outside the Mitchell Library on Macquarie St. It was unveiled in 1925. He was the first to circumnavigate Australia and gave Australia its name.

Behind Matthew Flinders perched on one of the window ledges is a small bronze statue of  his faithful companion, Trim the cat. The statue has it's right paw raised and its head looking in the direction of its master. It was unveiled in 1996.

On the ledge behind Matthew Flinders' statue and the ledge in front of Trim there are small bronze paw prints.

Statues

Sydney is full of statues, traditional, quirky and modern. Everywhere you look and sometimes in places where you might not expect statues appear.

This statue of Governor Bligh is next to Cadman's Cottage in Bligh and Barney Reserve and was unveiled in 1987 to "restore the proper image of a much maligned and gallant man".

On the back of the statue is a detailed description of William Bligh's life.

To me he looks like he looking out to the harbour as if he is expecting someone.

A Royal Connection

In 1954 a recently crowned Queen Elizabeth visited Sydney and in this little green oasis in the city, she and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh planted 2 trees to commemorate the opening of the Remembrance Driveway. Also later on 16 February the Queen planted a Snow Gum at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The Remembrance Driveway came about after the Second World War when Margaret Davis, the founding president of the Garden Clubs of Australia suggested that a living memorial to those who had served in this conflict be established.

The Charter of the committee is to arrange planting of avenues of trees and establish groves and memorial parks along the Hume and Federal Highways between Sydney and Canberra.

 

The Plane trees are still thriving in the Macquarie Place. The trees are currently without leaves being a deciduous variety but in spring provide a wide canopy of greenery along with the othe plantings in the park.

 

The Divide

As Sydney developed there were distinct areas which were set out.  The eastern side of  the First Government House, which was on the corner of Phillip and Bridges Street was the Governor's Domain, the south side was occupied by Government buildings and the western side was available for private purchase.

Prominent emancipist traders such as Mary Reiby and Simeon Lord bought land on the western side and conducted their businesses from this area.

In 1803 Simeon Lord began building the large three-storey house by the Tank Stream bridge which became a Sydney institution as much as a residence.

This is the site of today's Kyle House built in 1931.

  

A Fine Example of a Public Convenience

In the northeast corner of this little known open space in Sydney is a fine example of Edwardian civic design, a men's lavatory. Built in 1907 it is an underground structure capped by a metal dome and surrounded by handsome masonry screen walls with Art Nouveau ironwork over the entrance.

You could almost miss it as plants are growing up behind the masonry walls.

 

Above photo is an earlier one found on the internet. Below was taken recently.

It is now decommissioned and filled with sand which will allow for it's removal and re-use in future times.