Joseph Sturge VI, the noted peace and anti-slavery campaigner and Quaker philanthropist, died at his home in Wheeley’s Road, Edgebaston, Birmingham on May 14th 1859. A most highly regarded personage, he was held in particular affection by the people of Birmingham, thousands of whom lined the route of his funeral cortege in the rain.

Following his death a group of Birmingham dignitaries met in the Town Hall in the following August under the chairmanship of the Mayor to decide on the form that a public memorial should take. It was resolved that a statue should be erected in Joseph Sturge’s memory and a committee under the chairmanship of Lord Brougham was set up to raise the necessary funds and to carry the project forward.

The London sculptor John Thomas was commissioned and the chosen site was Five Ways, on the boundary between Edgebaston and the town centre, and close to Wheeley’s Road where Joseph Sturge had lived for many years. The unveiling took place on June 4th, 1862 before a large gathering of dignitaries and admirers. A report on the event in ‘The Times’ described the monument as comprising “a central figure of Mr. Sturge, his right hand resting on a Bible, and the left extended towards a figure symbolical of Peace. A figure on the other side is typical of Charity. At the base of the statue, in front and back, are large basins for ornamental fountains, and at either side are drinking fountains. The principal figure is in Sicilian marble, the secondary groups in fine freestone. The likeness of the man is portrayed with wonderful fidelity.”

This 19th Century press reportage is at odds with the Cliveden Conservation Workshop report (see below) that describes the whole monument as being executed in Portland stone. The fact that the Joseph Sturge sculpture remains much less discoloured than its base would seem to indicate that the two may be of different stone types. Early photographs show the “large basin” at the front of the plinth filled with ornamental vegetation – not with a fountain as described by the Times reporter. A floral feature must surely have been the original intention.

The statue has, I believe, been moved twice to accommodate redevelopment of the Five Ways junction. The most recent redevelopment created pedestrian subways and a landscaped area below a gyratory traffic system. It is to this lower area that the statue has been relocated.

At some point, possibly during the move, the statue’s left hand was severed. The outstretched left arm now ends at the wrist. The whole monument is in need of cleaning, the plinth is in a deteriorated condition and the drinking fountains on either side of the plinth have been removed, leaving unsightly scars.

It has been my hope for some years that money could be raised from Sturge family members for renovation, and the 2005 Family Pilgrimage seemed like the ideal occasion on which to launch an appeal. With this in mind I set up a meeting with Ms Jane Arthur, Head of Collections Services for Birmingham City Council – the owners of the statue - and discovered from her that its renovation was also being considered by her department.

They had commissioned a survey by Cliveden Conservation Workshop Ltd that was carried out in February 2003. Cliveden had submitted an estimate for the work of over £26,000! This sum is beyond the available civic budget and I discussed with Ms Arthur the possibility of combining what monies we could raise by way of an appeal from the Sturge family with whatever funds she is able to allocate from her sources. She felt that this was a good way forward, and would hopefully enable substantial renovation to be carried out, if not the full programme recommended by Cliveden.

Ms Arthur hopes that this work can be carried out in 2006 to tie in with events planned for that year to commemorate the city’s many links with the West Indies. I suggested some form of rededication ceremony when the work was completed, a suggestion with which she concurred.

So, if family members are supportive, I propose to proceed along these lines and to make a presentation and an appeal at the forthcoming Family Pilgrimage. Please bring your cheque books!

Joseph E. Sturge
Malvern