Press Release

THE FIRST PUBLIC STATUE OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN TO BE UNVEILED BY HER - IN HONOUR OF HER GOLDEN JUBILEE

27 October 2003

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will unveil The Jubilee Statue in Windsor Great Park today. The bronze equestrian statue, presented by The Crown Estate, depicts Her Majesty on horseback, at approximately one and a half times life size and has been positioned in Windsor Great Park at the highest point of Queen Anne’s Ride. It is the first public statue of Her Majesty to be unveiled by Her in the United Kingdom.

The Crown Estate commissioned the work from renowned sculptor Philip Jackson FRBS, FRSA last year in honour of the Golden Jubilee. Jackson has portrayed Her Majesty as she would have been seen riding in the Great Park in the early 1970s. The sculpture shows Her Majesty as if she had ridden up Queen Anne’s Ride to its highest point and had turned Her horse to look back on the Castle and the town of Windsor.

Commenting on the sculpture, Ian Grant, Chairman of The Crown Estate said: “The statue unveiled today by Her Majesty The Queen is in honour of Her Golden Jubilee. As well as being a fitting tribute to Her Majesty, it will be an enduring and affectionate reminder of an historic milestone in Her reign - I believe it will provide much interest and pleasure to the two million or so visitors who presently come to the Great Park every year, and to the future visitors for generations to come.

“I would like to thank the sculptor, Philip Jackson, who has created this magnificent and remarkable work of art, and also the highly skilled craftsmen and women who have worked tirelessly to ensure Philip’s magnificent vision is now a breathtaking reality. This location, at the top of Queen Anne’s Ride provides a dramatic and appropriate backdrop for the sculpture.

“I should also like to give special thanks to all the members of our commissioning panel, chaired by my predecessor as Chairman of The Crown Estate, Sir Denys Henderson, who selected Philip Jackson to undertake this prestigious commission which will be known as The Jubilee Statue.” Ian Grant added.

Philip Jackson was chosen from a shortlist of sculptors identified with the assistance of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, and selected by a special panel chaired by Sir Denys Henderson former Crown Estate Chairman. The panel included Professor Phillip King CBE, President of the Royal Academy; Prudence Leith OBE, Past Chairman of the RA; Dr Charles Saumarez Smith, Director of The National Gallery and Jonathan Marsden, Deputy Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art. Colette Bailey, Managing Director of the Royal Society of British Sculptors attended in an advisory capacity.

The statue was cast at the Morris Singer Foundry which continues to produce the works of virtually all the major British sculptors and architects. The fountains and two of the Lions in Trafalgar Square were cast in this foundry as was the figure of Justice atop of the Old Bailey. Boadicea and the Chariot outside the House of Parliament and St George and the Dragon by Blackfriars Bridge are among many of the other monumental works which contribute to the character of London and commemorate the great names which have made history.

The casting of The Jubilee Statue took six months at the foundry in total and has used two and a half tonnes of bronze in its making.

Other specialist craftsman and suppliers involved in the construction of the statue include:

• Masonry Construction by William Anelay, York
• Heraldic Carving by Andrian Melke of Dick Reid’s Workshop, York
• Lettered Inscriptions by The Cardozo-Kinderlsey Workshop, Cambridge
• Structural Engineers, Price & Myers, London
• Portland Stone supplied by Albion Stone, Dorset
• Architect & Designer of the Plinth, Dr Donald Buttress

The statue will be blessed in accordance with tradition by The Reverend Canon John Ovenden: “At this time when we celebrate and honour over fifty years of the Queen’s loyalty and devotion to Country and Commonwealth, we hereby dedicate this statue. We thank you for the generosity of The Crown Estate who provided for it, the sculptor who made it, the architect who designed the plinth and all the craftsmen and women who implemented the scheme.

Standing high on this hill in the Great Park, may all who in future years pass by, be lifted up to a love of all thy wondrous creation, be unbridled in their love and service to neighbour and run the race of life with integrity poise and grace.

Gracious God who gives the horse its might – who clothes its neck with mane, who makes it leap and is majestic in flight, give you that same power and strength and the Blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always.

Amen.”

About the Sculptor

Philip Jackson, FRBS, FRSA is one of the foremost figurative sculptors of his generation, and divides his time between monumental works for public places and his gallery sculpture, many of which are also of monumental proportions. His gallery sculptures are exhibited regularly in Europe, North America and the UK. His public commissions are high profile and consistently impressive.

Examples of his work range from The Young Mozart in Chelsea, celebrating the composer’s bicentenary, Raul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who helped many thousands of Jews escape the concentration camps and Constantine the Great outside York Minster, to the heroic statue of The Yomper commemorating the Falklands campaign. Other sculptures in London include the In-Pensioner outside the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and The Ghurkha Monument in Horse Guards Avenue. Closer to the studio in Midhurst are St. Richard outside Chichester Cathedral, and inside, above the Lady Chapel, the powerful and thought-provoking Christ in Judgement.