Sir Henry Rowland Marsden (1823-1876)

Biography

Marsden was the inventor of a stone crushing machine, which he initially developed during his time in America but built a dedicated factory upon his return to Leeds in 1862. The machine helped with the increased demands of road building during the nineteenth century. Marsden was awarded 45 first class gold and silver medals at industrial expositions and the invention allowed him to generate income which he would use to fund his charity work. Marsden became Liberal mayor of Leeds in 1873 and 1874 and was hugely popular with the public during his time in local government.

Context

Marsden was arguably the most popular mayor of Victorian Leeds, partly due to is charity to the poor. A large number of people broke through the police barrier to celebrate the unveiling of his statue. In 1950, the statue was moved from the junction of Merrion street and Woodhouse Lane up to Woodhouse Moor on the edge of the city centre due to road widening. Recently there have been calls to move his statue from Woodhouse Moor closer to his home in Holbeck.

The statue

Date Erected:
1878

Artist:
John Throp (1819-1889)

Commissioned / funded by:
Erected by money from over 30,000 subscribers.

Format and materials:
Statue made from marble with a granite base.

Location:
First erected on Merrion Street but later moved to a corner of Woodhouse Moor due to road widening in 1950.

Description:
The statue is posed similarly to other 19th century statues. Panels on the base depict aspects of his career and life. ‘Industry’ demonstrates his ground-breaking creation of the stone crushing machine, allowing for increased road building; ‘Benevolence’ is now missing from the statue but represents Marsden’s use of his wealth to donate to public life; ‘Education’ was dear to Marsden’s heart and again links to his benevolence and the vast amount of money he gave to charity. These panels paid testimony to his contribution to society. “His consideration for the poor, no less than his courtesy to every sect and party, established him in the hearts of all classes and conditions of men.” (Curtis, n.d.).

Sources

• Sydney, J., (n.d.) Mixed Memories, Henry R. Marsden. Yorkshire Evening News
• Eveleigh Bradford, ‘Henry Rowland Marsden (1823-1876)’
• Historic England (n.d.) Statue of HR Marsden, Leeds, West Yorkshire.. Historic England. (Accessed on: 1/12/2021),

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]