| Statue of Edward VI | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
 | |
| Artist | Thomas Cartwright |
| Completion date | 1682 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Purbeck marble |
| Subject | Edward VI |
| Location | London |
| Coordinates | 51°29′59″N0°07′08″W / 51.4998°N 0.1188°W /51.4998; -0.1188 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Stone Statue of Edward VI |
| Designated | 30 May 1979 |
| Reference no. | 1319933 |
Thestatue of Edward VI byThomas Cartwright atSt Thomas' Hospital,Lambeth,London is one of two statues of that king at the hospital. Both commemorateEdward's re-founding of the institution in 1551. The statue was designed by Nathaniel Hanwell and carved by Thomas Cartwright in 1682, during the rebuilding undertaken bySir Robert Clayton when President of the hospital. The statue originally formed the centrepiece of a group of figures which adorned the gateway onBorough High Street. It was moved to its current location at the north entrance to the North Wing onLambeth Palace Road in the 20th century. It was designated aGrade II* listed structure in 1979.
Edward VI was the son ofHenry VIII and his third queen,Jane Seymour. Born on 12 October 1537, he succeed his father at the age of nine in 1547 but never attained his majority, dying aged 15 in 1553.[1] During theReformation St Thomas', as a religious foundation, was deprived of its revenues and estates and was closed in 1540.[2] In 1551, Edward granted a charter for the hospital's refounding.[3]
The origin of St Thomas' Hospital was the sick house attached to theChurch of St Mary Overie[4] inSouthwark, founded in the 12th century.[5] By the late 17th century, the hospital was in a dilapidated state andSir Robert Clayton, the hospital's President, employedThomas Cartwright, amaster mason and a governor of St Thomas', to undertake complete rebuilding.[6] Cartwright had worked as a mason forChristopher Wren atSt Paul's Cathedral.[7] The new buildings, of red brick and in aclassical style, were completed just after Clayton's death, in 1709.[4] The statue of Edward, along with its accompanying figures, decorated a gateway in the new complex. In 1872, following the complete reconstruction of the hospital on land further up theRiver Thames at Lambeth,[6] the statue was moved to the new site and has been repositioned subsequently.[8]
The statue was commissioned by Robert Clayton, designed by Nathaniel Hanwell and carved by Thomas Cartwright.[8] It formed the centrepiece of a grouping that stood on the gateway to the hospital from Borough High Street. The king was originally flanked by carvings of two pairs of disabled figures;[9] since 2019 these have been on display at theScience Museum.[10] The statue is ofPurbeck limestone and the order for "effigies of King Edward the Sixth and fower cripples to be carved in stone" was placed on 11 November 1681.[7] Cartwright charged £190 for the work.[9]
The king is portrayed inTudor clothing and wearing a crown. He holds asceptre in his right hand and the charter authorising the re-establishment of St Thomas' in his left.[11][a] The statue stands on a modern plinth. The statue was listed as a Grade II* structure in 1979.[11]
Media related toStatue of Edward VI by Thomas Cartwright at Wikimedia Commons
