This symbolic gathering of men and women, whose lives span nearly 800 years, stands in front of Temple Gate. The gate was once part of the defences of Bristol but was demolished in the early nineteenth century. Golden models of ships perch on top of Ionic columns and Bristol Biplanes fly in the sky. The arms of the City of Bristol crown this symbol of great civic pride. The selection of people concentrates on early explorers, philanthropists and worthy Victorians, and several of the figures included are barely remembered today. A notable omission is the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859) who designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge, brought the Great Western Railway to Bristol and launched two steamships here. Ernest Board’s painting was presented to Bristol City Art Gallery in 1930, the year that the large extension to the building (the rear hall and all the surrounding galleries) opened.