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Notes
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This statue of a Jack Russell Terrier replaces an earlier memorial, including a drinking fountain, which was erected on Latchmere Recreation Ground in 1906. The original statue commemorated a dog that had been badly mistreated, allegedly illegally, during medical experiments carried out at University College, London. It was removed and destroyed by Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council on 10th March 1910 after a controversy over its provocative inscription and the ensuing 'Brown Dog Riots'. The statue's removal caused an equal amount of controversy, culminating in a 3,000-strong march from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square, where there was a public meeting on 18th March 1910. The new statue was modelled on the sculptor's own pet dog, Brock, and was unveiled by the actor Geraldine James.
The black and white image was taken on the day of the unveiling of the new memorial. It is apparent from this photograph that, for its re-siting in 1994, the original stepped base was significantly reduced. Not only a commemoration of past cruelties, the statue stands as a poignant reminder that animal testing, on dogs and other species, continues unabated to this day.
Title
Brown Dog
Date
1985
Medium
bronze & Portland stone
Measurements
H 46 x W (?) x D (?) cm;
Plinth: H 138 x W 48 x D 48 cm
Accession number
SW11_VA_S002
Acquisition method
acquired by public subscription, with funding from the National Anti-Vivisection Society and the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
Work type
Statue
Owner
London Borough of Wandsworth Council
Custodian
London Borough of Wandsworth Council
Work status
extant
Unveiling date
12 December 1985
Access
time restrictions apply
Access note
subject to park opening times
Inscription description
face one: In Memory of the Brown Terrier / Dog Done to Death in the Laboratories / of University College in February / 1903 after having endured Vivisection / extending over more than Two Months / and having been handed over from / one Vivisector to Another / Till Death came to his Release / Also in Memory of the 232 dogs Vivisected / at the same place during the year 1902. / Men and women of England / how long shall these things be?; face two: Funded by the / British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection / and / the National Anti-Vivisection Society / Site provided by the / Greater London Council / Sculptor / Nicola Hicks / Unveiled on 12th December 1985; face three: This monument replaces the original memorial / to the Brown Dog erected by public / subscriptions in Latchmere Recreation/Ground, Battersea, in 1906. The sufferings of / Brown Dog at the hands of vivisectors / generated much protest and mass / demonstrations. It represented the revulsion / of the people of London to vivisection and / animal experimentation. This new monument / is dedicated to the continuing struggle to end / these practices. / After much controversy the former monument / was removed in the early hours of 10th March / 1910. This was the result of a decision taken / by the then Battersea Metropilitan Borough / Council, the previous Council having / supported the erection of the memorial; face four: Animal experimentation is one of the greatest moral issues of our time and should have no place in a civilised society / In 1903, 19,084 animals suffered and died in British laboratories / During 1983, 3,624,191 experiments were performed on live animals in Great Britain / Today, animals are burned, blinded, irradiated, poisoned and subjected to countless other horrifyingly cruel experiments in Great Britain.
