Summary

Statue of John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, near the army barracks and military museums in Winchester, UK.

Text from "The Statue of Field Marshal Lord Seaton", 2011 [1]:

"In November 1866 an 8 foot bronze statue of John Colborne, Field Marshal Lord Seaton, was unveiled in Devonport, (Plymouth, Devon). Two weeks later an article describing the ceremony was printed in The Illustrated London News, together with a sketch of the statue. The original site of Lord Seaton's statue was a few yards east of the high hill at Mount Wise, that which we we currently (at 2011) know as The Redoubt. The exact spot appears to be where Seymour House currently stands; this is ascertained from early 20th century postcards. The original site of Lord Seaton's statue was a few yards east of the high hill at Mount Wise, that which we we currently (at 2011) know as The Redoubt. The statue faced east. If you were stood underneath it then, looking east, your direct line of sight would be to the Parade ground in front of Government House, since renamed Admiralty House.

Transcription of the article in The Illustrated London News 13 December 1866: "The ceremony of unveiling the statue of the late Field Marshall Lord Seaton, at Devonport, took place om the 29th ult. The weather was fine, and there was a a considerable attendance of ladies and gentlemen, including a number of military and naval officers. Among them were Earl Fortescue, Lord Clifford, General Sir A. Spencer, Port-Admiral Sir W.F. Martin, Admiral-Superintendent Drummond, Colonel Owen (Royal Engineers), and the commanding officers of the various military forces in garrison. The chairman of the presentation committee (Sir Edmund Prideaux, Bart.) opened the proceedings by referring in eulogistic terms to the many actions in which the late Lord Seaton had been engaged and to the various posts of responsibility he subsequently filled. This address was acknowledged in suitable terms by Colonel Colborne, the second son of the late Lord Seaton. The statue, which is the work of Mr. G. Adams, and cast in bronze by Messrs. Elkington and Co., is fixed on a base of Cornish granite on the rising ground at the western boundary of Mount Wise. It is about 8ft. high, and faces the military parade nearly due east. Underneath is the inscription, "John Colborne, Baron Seaton, born 1778: died 1863." The western face has on it:- "In memory of the distinguished career and stainless character of Field Marshal Lord Seaton, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.H., this monument is erexted by his friends and comrades". On the north facing are the words "Canada and Ionian Islands," and on the south, "Peninsula and Waterloo."

First Resiting of the Statue: Sometime between WWI and WWII, possibly the early 1930s, the statue was moved 250 yards east and installed in front of Government House (later renamed Admiralty House), on the spot which was previously a parade ground. (See File:AdmiraltyHouse MountWise Plymouth.png)

Second and Third Resiting of the Statue: Shortly after World War II, early 1960s according to one writer, the statue was moved once again, from Mount Wise to Seaton Barracks, Crownhill, where it stood for until the 1990s. When Seaton Barracks began closure operations during the 1990s the statue was removed to Winchester Army Museum, where it remains to this day. (Apparently)... the location of Winchester Army Museum was at the request of the Colborne family".

Taken by myself, w:User:Tom A Smith, all rights released.

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