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Statue of Robert Falcon Scott, Christchurch

Coordinates: 43°31′52″S 172°38′01″E / 43.53120°S 172.63361°E / -43.53120; 172.63361
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Statue of Robert Falcon Scott
A white marble statue on top of a plinth with trees in the background.
Scott Statue in Christchurch, New Zealand, sculpted by his widow, Kathleen Scott.
Map
43°31′52″S 172°38′01″E / 43.53120°S 172.63361°E / -43.53120; 172.63361
LocationChristchurch Central City, New Zealand
DesignerKathleen Scott
MaterialMarble (statue)
Granite (plinth)
Height2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Weight2.5 t (2.8 tons)
Opening date9 February 1917
Restored date26 October 2017
Designated26 November 1981
Reference no.1840

The Statue of Robert Falcon Scott commemorates British Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott. It is located at a small recreational park at the intersection of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. Scott likely died on 29 March 1912 during his Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole. His death became public knowledge on 10 February 1913, in response, locals organised a comittee dedicated to Scott within one week of the news of his death. The statue was commissioned to be carved by Scott's widow, Kathleen Scott, in which she travelled to a marble quarry in Italy to carve it in March 1916. Her work was shipped to New Zealand in late 1916 and was unveiled on 9 February 1917. The statue is one of few monuments recognising the significance of early 20th-century Antarctic exploration

The statue toppled off its plinth in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and broke in two; it was temporarily on display in an exhibition in the Canterbury Museum and was later reinstated in its original location on 26 October 2017; unveiled a second time, by the descendants of Scott and Lianne Dalziel, former Mayor of Christchurch. The statue is recognised by Heritage New Zealand as a Category II historic place and also reflects Christchurch's connection with Antarctica and the British Empire.

Background

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A monochrome portrait of a young Robert Falcon Scott, photographed in circa 1900
Portrait of Scott by John Thomson, c. 1900.

The British Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott had used Christchurch and Lyttelton as his New Zealand base for the Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904 and Terra Nova Expedition of 1910–1913.[1][2] In between, Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909 also used Lyttelton as the base for their attempt to reach the South Pole,[3][4] but they failed to get there.[5][6] Scott and his companions had a strong connection with the people of the Canterbury Region, and were welcomed by locals and conducted research and analyses at the Canterbury Museum and at a meteorological hut in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Locals also helped supply their expeditions, and gathered to bade farewell to the explorers.[7][8][9] The objective of the Terra Nova Expedition was to be the first to reach the geographical South Pole.[10] Scott and his four other companions eventually reached the pole on 17 January 1912, to learn that a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had preceded them by 34 days.[11][12]

During the expedition, Scott and his companions struggled physically and faced inclement weather and shortages of resources. Nearing the end of their jounrey, Scott and his two final companions set up their tent for the final time on 19 March. Henry Robertson Bowers and Edward Wilson planned to walk to the final depot, which was 11 mi (18 km) away, but never left their tent because Scott was unable to walk. Their deaths were certain because of the limited resources and enough food for only two days. Captain Scott likely died on 29 March, and was presumably the last to die of the expedition.[13][14][15] A search party consisting of the crew of the Terra Nova departed their camp in late October in hopes of sighting Scott and his companions that were missing for several months. On 12 November, the search party found a tent that contained the deteriorating bodies of Bowers, Wilson and Scott. Tryggve Gran, of the search party, placed a memorial cross at the site.[14][16] The Terra Nova left for home in January 1913 and later arrived to a port in Oamaru in the early morning on 10 February. Edward L. Atkinson and Harry Pennell of the expedition rowed to the port, from where they sent a coded message back to the expedition's organiser.[17][18] On 12 February, the ship arrived to Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, where the men of the expedition were suprised to see the city in mourning and flags flying at half-mast.[2][14] Scott and his companions' deaths resulted in them being treated as heros throughout the British Empire.[2][19]

Description

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The Statue of Robert Falcon Scott is located on the corner of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. It is located in a small recreational park known as the Scott Statue Reserve beside the Avon River / Ōtākaro.[20][1] The statue is a 2.6 metres (8 feet 6 inches) hand-carved white marble sculpture depicting Captain Scott in a Polar dress. He holds a bronze alpenstock in his right hand, facing north towards the Old Municipal Chambers building, on top of a concrete foundation, and a stone plinth made of several granite pieces that had been mortared together.[1][21][22] The statue weighs about 2.5 tonnes (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons).[23]

In 1917, The Press, a Christchurch-based newspaper publication, described the statue as "Fortunate in many things – in the beauty of its surroundings, in its fine open spaces, in the wise provision of its founders manifested in other ways – Christchurch is not least fortunately endowed in its statues of public men".[24][25]

History

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A monochrome image of a Kathleen Scott, photographed in circa 1910.
An image of Kathleen Scott (c. 1900). Captain Scott's widow and sculptor of the statue.

After the news of the deaths of Scott and his companions reached Christchurch, many locals suggested that a memorial to Scott and the other explorers should be errected in Christchurch.[26] The Mayor of Christchurch, Henry Holland, called for a public meeting to organise a memorial fund within one week of the news of their deaths.[27][8] A committee dedicated to Scott was established and over £1,000 was raised over a number of months from public donations for the memorial to be errected in Canterbury, because of Christchurch's connection with the expedition.[8]

Whilst the form of the memorial or its location had not been decided upon, the committee wrote to Captain Scott's widow, Kathleen Scott and enquired about her thoughts about the proposal.[22][28] The Christchurch City Council and the comittee commissioned Kathleen to create a replica of the bronze statue in Waterloo Place in London, England that was erected in 1915. The statue was originally meant to be made with bronze, but the rising costs of the material caused by World War I made marble a more cost effective option.[29][21]

In February 1916, the committee decided the statue would be positioned on a grass plot beside the Avon River / Ōtākaro and opposite the Clarendon Hotel facing the Old Municipal Council building.[30] Kathleen travelled to carve the statue in a marble quarry in Italy, in March 1916.[22][31]

Her work was completed in May 1916, and was shipped to New Zealand later that same year.[29][32] A large crowd gathered at the intersection of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace on 9 February 1917 to witness the unveiling of the memorial with several speakers who reflected on the explorers' scientific contributions. The statue was unveiled by the Governor-General of New Zealand, The Earl of Liverpool who stated "Captain Scott represented everything best in the traditions of the British Navy, and were he alive today". Mayor Henry Holland stated that "the memorial to Captain Scott would remain a permanent reminder to the generations of the future that the Englishmen of these days were worthy upholders of the noblest traditions of their race". Speakers also noting that the statue would "act as an inspiration and an incentive to succeeding generations to emulate their example".[33][21]

Inscriptions

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There is an inscription on the plinth, which includes the names of his party of five which died and one of Scott's last diary entries,[34][21] reads:

Commemorative plaques of on the base of a statue, commemorating Captain Scott and Kathleen Scott
Base of the statue with its plaques, commemorating Captain Scott and the sculptor, Kathleen Scott.

ROBERT FALCON SCOTT
CAPTAIN ROYAL NAVY
Who died returning from the South Pole, 1912, with A. E. Wilson, H. R. Bowers, L. E. G. Oates, E. Evans.

I do not regret this journey, which shows
that Englishmen can endure hardships,
help one another, and meet death with
as great fortitude as ever in the past.

A further inscription below the one commemorating Captain Scott, is an inscription recognising the statue's sculptor, Kathleen Scott,[22] that reads:

This statue was sculpted by
KATHLEEN SCOTT FRBS
(1878–1947)
widow of
CAPTAIN SCOTT
and was unveiled in 1917.

Earthquake of February 2011

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A white marble fallen statue depicting Robert Falcon Scott, on the ground in a small urban park
Statue fallen off its plinth during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

The statue was toppled off its plinth by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[31] Unattached to the plinth, the statue was fell to the base, with its head buried in the ground and it broken below its knees. Some more damage was caused by people trying to "dig out" around the head. The statue was lifted on 4 April 2011, from its location inside the Central City Red Zone, which suffered significant damage during the earthquake. The statue was later craned onto two wooden plinths and transported to a storage facility.[35] Over the next few years, the statue was on display during the November 2012 Icefest in Hagley Park,[36] and from January 2016, in Christchurch's Earthquake Museum, which is part of the Canterbury Museum, in City Mall.[37][38]

Restoration

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During the restoration of the statue, four carbon fibre rods were inserted from foot to waist in each leg, strengthening the rebuilt statue. To attach the statue to its plinth, a stonemason drilled a hole through the granite top and marble base, which allowed the statue to be lifted by a crane. The statue was then transported to its plinth, and was reinforced for earthquake resistance with a "large spring mechanism" for additional stability.[39] The estimated cost of restoration work was $560,000, but $900,000 was insured.[31] Restoration of the statue was completed 2017; and was unveiled a second time in a ceremony in its original location on 6 October.[31] It was unveiled by the descendants of Scott and Lianne Dalziel, former Mayor of Christchurch.[31][38] Shortly after the restoration, the statue was vandalised by someone snapping off his alpenstock in his right hand. A staff member from the Christchurch City Council later found the broken alpenstock in a nearby garden.[23]

Significance

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A 2017 "significance assessment" by the Christchurch City Council reported the Scott Statue is one of few monuments recognising the importance of early 20th-century Antarctic exploration. For many people in Christchurch, the statue serves as a symbolic portrayal of bravery, heroism, and endurance. It also reflects Christchurch's connection with Antarctic exploration and the British Empire. On 26 November 1981, the statue was recognised by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga as a Category II historic place.[22][34]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Murray & Fryer 2022, pp. 1–2.
  2. ^ a b c Rice, Geoffrey (2008). Christchurch Changing: An Illustrated History (2nd ed.). Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-908812-53-0.
  3. ^ Mill, Hugh Robert (1923). The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton. London: William Heinemann Ltd. p. 114. ISBN 1293793574.
  4. ^ Preston, Diana (1997). A first rate tragedy: Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions. London: Constable & Robinson. p. 129. ISBN 0-09-476380-1.
  5. ^ Riffenburgh, Beau (2005). Nimrod: Ernest Shackleton and the Extraordinary Story of the 1907–09 British Antarctic Expedition. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 151–153. ISBN 978-0-7475-7253-4.
  6. ^ "Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henryunlocked". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36034. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. ^ Harvie, Will (4 April 2020). "History: Great problem of science resolved with help from botanic gardens". Stuff. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Murray & Fryer 2022, p. 2.
  9. ^ "Homeward Bound". The Press. No. 14614. Christchurch, New Zealand. 14 March 1913. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  10. ^ Crane, D. (2005). Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage, and Tragedy in the Extreme South. London: HarperCollins. p. 397. ISBN 9780007150687.
  11. ^ Birch, Carol (30 December 2011). "Scott's polar disaster lives on". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  12. ^ Gwynne, Peter (15 December 2011). "The race to the South Pole rages on in the history books". NBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  13. ^ Fiennes, Ranulph (2003). Captain Scott. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-340-82697-3.
  14. ^ a b c MacPhee, Ross (2010). Race to the end: Amundsen, Scott, and the attainment of the South Pole. New York and London: Sterling Innovation. pp. 5, 22, 187–189, 196. ISBN 978-1-4027-7029-6.
  15. ^ "Scott, Robert Falcon [known as Scott of the Antarctic]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35994. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  16. ^ Flood, Alison (12 December 2018). "Antarctic diary records horror at finding Captain Scott's body". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  17. ^ Prior, Neil (17 January 2012). "Scott centenary: Appeal to shed light on Pole letters". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  18. ^ Telegraph Press Association (10 February 1913). "Terra Nova Arrives at Oamaru". Evening Post. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  19. ^ Jones, Max (20 October 2014). "'The Truth about Captain Scott': The Last Place on Earth, Debunking, Sexuality and Decline in the 1980s". The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. 42 (5): 857–881. doi:10.1080/03086534.2014.959717. ISSN 0308-6534. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Scott Statue Commissioned by Comittee". The Press. No. 25248. Christchurch, New Zealand. 29 July 1947. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  21. ^ a b c d "Honouring the Brave". The Press. No. 15822. Christchurch, New Zealand. 10 February 1917. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  22. ^ a b c d e Lovell-Smith, Melanie (8 August 2001). "Captain Scott Memorial". Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Captain Robert Falcon Scott statue vandalised weeks after being restored to plinth". Stuff. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  24. ^ Matthews, Phillip (9 March 2021). "1917: Scott statue 'a sermon in stone'". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Captain Scott". The Press. No. 15822. Christchurch, New Zealand. 10 February 1917. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  26. ^ "Proposed Christchurch Memorial". The Press. No. 14591. Christchurch, New Zealand. 15 February 1913. Retrieved 16 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  27. ^ "A Christchurch Memorial". Colonist. Vol. LV, no. 13650. Christchurch, New Zealand. 15 February 1913. p. 6. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2011 – via Papers Past.
  28. ^ "Captain Scott Memorial". The Sun. No. 381. 30 April 1915. Retrieved 20 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  29. ^ a b Murray & Fryer 2022, pp. 2–5.
  30. ^ "Scott Memorial". Lyttelton Times. No. 17104. Lyttlelton, New Zealand. 29 February 1912. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  31. ^ a b c d e Harvie, Will (7 October 2017). "Christchurch's Robert Falcon Scott statue gets base isolation". The Press. Christchurch, New Zealand. ISSN 0113-9762. ProQuest 1947557533. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Now Completed, Scott Memorial Statue". The Sun. No. 707. Christchurch, New Zealand. 17 May 1916. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
  33. ^ Murray & Fryer 2022, pp. 2–3.
  34. ^ a b Murray & Fryer 2022, pp. 3–5, 9.
  35. ^ Murray & Fryer 2022, p. 4.
  36. ^ "Statue Back on Show". The Nelson Mail. Nelson, New Zealand. 11 September 2012. ProQuest 1038946426.
  37. ^ "Captain Robert Falcon Scott statue returns to public view". The Press. 15 January 2016. p. A2. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  38. ^ a b Murray & Fryer 2022, p. 9.
  39. ^ Murray & Fryer 2022, pp. 6–8.

Bibliography

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