Neptune Statue - The Centre, Bristol, UK
N 51° 27.196 W 002° 35.846
30U E 527971 N 5700308
This lead-covered statue was produced by Joseph Rendall in 1723 and has been moved to various locations around the city of Bristol until arriving at this spot in 1999. Neptune is a very apt statue for Bristol as it has ties with the sea.
Waymark Code: WM11RH7
Location: South West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/10/2019
Views: 3
The slightly larger-than-lifesize cast lead statue of Neptune (Poseidon)is on a granite plinth and shows Neptune holding a fish and trident.
A plaque, attached to the plinth, tells us:
Neptune
A god of the sea
according to ancient mytholohy
This lead-covered statue was
produced by Joseph Rendall
founder Bristol 1723.
and erected on the site of
the Old Reservoir of Temple
Conduit in Temple Street.
Re-erected in Bear Lane
Temple 1787 - removed to
Church Lane Temple 1794.
Removed to the junction of
Temple Street and Victoria
Street 1872.
Erected on this site
Latitude 51° 27' 06" North
Longitude 2° 35' 47" West
10th May 1949
The "this site" refers to its former position to the south of where it now stands and the position relates to the Airy Datum and not WGS84 that we use today.
The About Bristol website tells us about the statue's history:
Neptune was until recent years a familiar sight at the head of St. Augustine's Reach, but was originally set up in the Temple area, near Bristol Bridge. When the bridge was being widened a clause was added into the Act for the statue to be moved to Temple Street. Later because of rebuilding a new place had to be found on some glebe land, where it stayed until 1872.
The statue was then moved to the junction of Temple Street and Victoria Street, being converted to a dinking fouintain with the water flowing from the mouth of the small dolphin into cast iron bowls. There were cups attached by chains for human use and the overspill water went into bowls at the bottom of the pedestal to provide drinking water for dogs. The statue was re-erected at the Quay Head in 1949.
Following alterations to the City Centre in 1999, the much-travelled statue is now part of the new water feature in the pedestrianised area of the Centre.
The Wikipedia website has an article about Neptune that tells us:
Neptune is the god of freshwater and the sea in Roman religion. He is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune is the brother of Jupiter and Pluto; the brothers preside over the realms of Heaven, the earthly world, and the Underworld. Salacia is his wife.
Depictions of Neptune in Roman mosaics, especially those of North Africa, are influenced by Hellenistic conventions. Neptune was likely associated with fresh water springs before the sea. Like Poseidon, Neptune was worshipped by the Romans also as a god of horses, under the name Neptunus Equester, a patron of horse-racing.