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Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)
Edward Colston (1636–1721)

Image credit: Paul Francis / Art UK

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Edward Colston was a merchant who amassed a vast fortune by trafficking people from West Africa to the Americas as part of the transatlantic slave trade. A bronze statue of Colston had stood on a pedestal in central Bristol since 1895, depicting him in middle age, leaning pensively on a stick. On 7th June 2020 the statue was toppled, defaced, and thrown into Bristol Harbour by protesters at an anti-racism, Black Lives Matter demonstration. It became the focal point of a wider discussion in the media about civic statues and who is celebrated in public sculpture. Bristol City Council retrieved the statue from the water four days later. Museum conservators stabilised the condition and preserved the graffiti. The statue formed part of a display at M Shed in Bristol from June 2021 to January 2022, to start a city-wide conversation about its future.

Title

Edward Colston (1636–1721)

Date

1895

Medium

bronze

Measurements

H 260 x W 80 x D (?) cm

Accession number

BS1_PF_S021

Acquisition method

proposed by James Arrowsmith, president of the Anchor Society

Work type

Statue

Owner

Bristol City Council

Custodian

Bristol City Council

Work status

lost

Listing status

Grade II (England and Wales)

Listing date

04/03/77

Access

at all times

Signature/marks description

signature, base below left foot: John Cassidy; below the right foot: Coalbrookdale

Inscription description

inscription in metal letters applied to the front of the pedestal: EDWARD / COLSTON / BORN 1636 / DIED: 1721 —: BRONZE PANEL – ERECTED : BY : / CITIZENS OF BRISTOL / AS A MEMORIAL / OF ONE OF THE MOST / VIRTUOUS : AND / WISE : SONS OF / THEIR : CITY / A.D. 1895 / JOHN CASSIDY / FECIT

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Located at

The Centre, Bristol

BS1 4RD

Located near St Stephen’s Avenue.