Self Sacrifice, better known as the Lady Godiva statue is an equestrian statue of Lady Godiva in Broadgate, Coventry. The statue is bronze, on a plinth of Portland stone.[1]
The Lady Godiva Statue | |
 Self Sacrifice in Broadgate, Coventry | |
 | |
| 52°24′29″N 1°30′37″W / 52.40801°N 1.51041°W | |
| Location | Coventry, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Designer | Sir William Reid Dick |
| Type | Equestrian statue |
| Material | Bronze and Portland stone |
| Beginning date | 1936 |
| Completion date | 1949 |
| Opening date | 1949 |
| Dedicated to | Lady Godiva and the people of Coventry |
History
editThe statue was initially commissioned in 1936 by William Bassett-Green, a wealthy local businessman but it was 1940 before a scale model had been produced by the sculptor, Sir William Reid Dick.[2] Reid Dick worked through the Second World War to produce a full scale model of the statue. After the war the statue was cast and placed on a plinth influenced by Sir Edwin Lutyens, before finally being unveiled by Peggy Z. Douglas on the 22nd of October 1949.[3] The statue was adorned with the flags of the United Kingdom and the United States as Mrs Douglas was the wife of the American Ambassador, Lewis Williams Douglas. The statue was initially installed facing south, but was rotated to face west in 1989 during the construction of the Cathedral Lanes Shopping Centre.[1] A canopy was erected over the statue at the same time, which was removed in 2008.[2]
Design
editThe statue depicts Lady Godiva on her naked ride through the city to protest her husband’s oppressive taxes. The plinth is inscribed with passages from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Godiva along with a dedication from William Bassett-Green to Lady Godiva and the people of Coventry.[4]
Inscriptions
edit-
North face -
East face -
South face -
West face
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Historic England. "LADY GODIVA STATUE, Non Civil Parish (1031589)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Self Sacrifice - The Coventry Society". www.coventrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Sandford, Elis (22 October 2018). "Why Lady Godiva statue was unveiled wearing Stars and Stripes". CoventryLive. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Godiva - A poem by Alfred Tennyson". www.coventry.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2021.