SLHS: Gower Memorial

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History

As you walk up to the Gower Memorial a plaque on the left explains the following..

“In 1769, Garrick's Stratford Jubilee Festival in honour of William Shakespeare started a growing public appreciation of the Bard in Stratford-upon-Avon, an appreciation which is reflected in the grandeur of this memorial statue. Given to the town in 1888, it is the work of Lord Ronald Gower who spent over ten years sculpting it and funded much of the work from his personal fortune.
The figures around the base are Shakespearian characters: Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Falstaff and Prince Hal. Each stands in front of individually-modelled bronze masks with flowers symbolic of each character. Hamlet represents Philosophy with ivy and cypress; Lady Macbeth is Tragedy with poppies and peonies; Comedy is represented by Falstaff with hops and roses; and History is represented by Prince Hal with English roses and French lilies. Originally, the statue group was situated on the other side of the theatre, with Shakespeare aligned to face Holy Trinity Church.
In 1926, the theatre was destroyed by fire. Following construction of the new Memorial Theatre, the entire monument was moved to its present location in 1933 when the alignment was changed and the statues moved further from the base.”