A Case Study on Memory - Grey's Monument

A CASE STUDY ON MEMORY

GREY’S MONUMENT VILI-VALTTERI WELROOS

102237966

Newcastle University Stage 5 ARC 8051 Tools for Thinking about Architecture 01

GREY’S MONUMENT A Case-study on Memory by Vili-valtteri Welroos 102237966

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List of Contents

3 5

§1.0 Introduction [±491]

8

§1.1 Literature Review [±167]

10

§2.0 The Monument - ‘lieux de memoire’ [±881]

13

§2.1 The Statue of Earl Grey [Character] [±654]

16

§2.2 The Column - [Elevation] [±714]

21

§2.3 ‘The Base’ - Place of Remembrance? [±664]

25

§3.0 Transformations [projected futures] [±583]

28

§4.0 Conclusions [±614]

30

Bibliography

31

List of Illustrations

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back-cover Word-count: ±4000 [±4790] [excluding references, captions and bibliography]

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Statue Earl Grey; The character

Column Commemorative Elevation

Base - ‘lieux de memoire’

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Figure 1 View of Grey’s Monument from Grainger Street

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Figure 2 Are each of the elements of the Grey Monument as important?

§1.0 Introduction

This paper explores Grey’s Monument as a significant

historic artefact within the heart of Newcastle as a site of memory: its historic origin, its present and its possible future.

Through analysing its physical attributes, column, statue and base, it attempts to highlight the importance of understanding the histories of a places, beyond simple pre-conceptions about their meanings. Together, the column, the statue and the commemorative base, seem to form the pre-requisites for remembering Lord Grey, but also for the creation of a centre for the city. What makes this Monument so special for Newcastle?

The division of the Monument into a threefold study

of the memory of Grey, his elevated presence and the place his monument forms, questions the necessity of each of these aspects for the formation of a central district for the city. Through studying the Monument, it also wonders what importance this monument has to the locals today and what the future of the area will be like.

Cities require historic places to showcase their collective

memory. The close study of such historic artefacts might reveal surprising facts from their past and may consequently reveal a complex instructive stories. The study emphasises the importance of the preservation of important historic and cultural fragments as catalysts for change.

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The research aims to better understand the future of

Grainger Town, the Monument proper and the place it creates.

Through consulting relevant literature, experiencing the area and visiting local archives, the paper delves into the history of its making – or ‘becoming’. Can one simply make a monument momentous, or do such places ‘become’?

This threefold study of the Monument, as an object of

memory, demonstrates that it is a vital artefact in the formation of a city-centre for Newcastle. If the Monument is such a vital artefact, can such places be designed pre-emptively, or are they born through a complex evolution in the urban fabric?

Through taking a historic artefact of almost

unquestionable local importance, distilling its component parts to their essence, it provides a critical review of Grey’s Monument in Newcastle, highlighting the broader social, cultural, political and economic contexts of its creation, and uses them to critically appraise its importance.

In summary, the research-paper looks into how the

Monument came to be constructed in its current location, the way in which it presents itself to the inhabitants, and the place it creates through its mere presence

[Figure 3].

The second

section looks into the history of Lord Grey, as a character, how he became such an influential person, and the building of his monument. How did the Monument become a ‘lieux de mémoire’?2 The third section delves into the choice of location and type of column, and how this relates to other similar citydefining artefacts, such as Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square in London, and Trajan’s Column, as its archetype in Rome. The fourth section deals with the immediate area the Monument creates, and asks what its possible futures may be. Finally, the paper attempts to conclusively answer the research-question: can such places be translocated or even designed?

1

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a

Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.3.

2 Nora, P. ‘The Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past’ (1997) p.14.

06

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

Figure 3

d. A slight glimpse of the Monument from the City Library. e. The moment right before the Monument makes its appearance from Northumberland street corner. f. The Monument is finally revealed from Northumberland street. bottom: Monument proper - a hive of activity.

Selection of Photographs of Greys Monument from various angles of approach: from top left to bottom right: a. Grey Street, before Monument becomes visible. b. View upwards from Grey Street. c. View from Blackett Street - the Monument makes a sudden appearance!

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§1.1 Literature Review

A close reading of Peter Brett’s ‘The Grey Monument:

the Making of a Regional Landmark’ – a paper in North-Eastern History, published in 2000, introduces Grainger Town, in the centre of which the Monument resides, as ‘no ordinary place’ in terms of its architecture, history and atmosphere. A detailed historical description of Earl Grey, his Monument and its situation in the change of the century.

A close reading includes Ruskin’s ‘Seven Lamps of

Architecture’, especially the lamp of memory, and an initial generative reading of ‘Trajan’s Column’, as the Monuments archetype, by Lepper & Frere, both historians based at the University of Oxford.

Sites of memory are defined by Pierre Nora as “complex

things. At once natural and artificial, simple and ambiguous, concrete and abstract, they are lieux—places, sites, causes—in three senses—material, symbolic and functional.” 3

Together these texts are used as a generative starting

point to ‘draw out’ the Monuments complex socio-cultural and politico-historical meanings, from yesterday, to today and beyond.

3

Nora, P. ‘The Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past’ (1997) p.14.

08

a.

b.

c.

d.

Figure 4 Selection of Photographs of Greys Monument from various angles of approach: from top left to bottom right: a. From Central Station, Grainger Street b. From alley between Emerson Chambers and Monument Mall development. c. Grainger Street: by Grainger Market. d. From Old Eldon Square

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Figure 5 Map of the Presence of the Monument within Newcastle; based on Figures 3-4.

§2.0 The Monument - ‘lieux de mémoire’

Together with the Castle Keep and Tyne Bridge, ‘The

Monument’ is perhaps one of the most known landmarks in Newcastle.4 This ‘Monument’ commemorating Lord Grey resides in the very heart of the city. It is a Grade 1 listed, 41 metre-tall Roman Doric Column, designed by the local architect Benjamin Green, as part of the city-plan of Richard Grainger, in the 1830’s.

The column is topped by a heroic Portland Stone statue of Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, ‘of the 1832 Reform Bill’, finely crafted

by Edward Hodges Baily, also known for the figure of Admiral Nelson on Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London (183941). This design became the focal point of Grainger’s new street plan for Newcastle, even though initially another statue/ monument was proposed in its place.5 It is a symbol of a time when the city of Newcastle underwent a series of radical social, political and physical transformations.

Today, not only is it a site of memory or ‘lieux de

mémoire’6, but also part of a key shopping district, an impromptu market, a meeting place, a place to demonstrate, a place to be seen, a fashionable restaurant quarter p.20].

[Figure 11,

And increasingly, the area surrounding the monument is

slowly changing, with the regeneration of the ‘intu’ Eldon Square shopping centre refurbishing its southern reaches, and the recent completion of the refurbishment of the Monument Mall

[Figure

15. p.27]. However, these transformations seem to merely be using 010

4

Newcastle Journal. 20 August (1988) Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.x.

6 Nora, P. ‘The Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past’ (1997) p.14.

5

the history of the Monument as a means for marketing, rather than actually remembering the Earl. Nevertheless, in the minds of the locals, the Monument is sacrosanct, as a recognisable historic artefact of the history of the city.

The initial research question Peter Brett ponders is,

what exactly the Monument asks the inhabitants of Newcastle to remember about Lord Grey.7 He starts his line of investigation by explaining the variety of historical research completed on understanding monuments as ‘lieux de mémoire’ or sites of memory: especially regarding their shifting meanings and the redefinition of national identities they seem to be capable of performing.

The interpretation of the cultural image of monuments

can be seen as sort of ‘reading’ and these important objects of memory serve as ‘historical witnesses’ to the development of cities: ‘To study a city’s monuments is to study the palpable and living record of its past centuries’.8 He concludes his line of inquiry on a note by a French author, who argues that the future can be informed by the present through the construction of new monuments; with careful planning monuments could be used to convey certain messages to future generations and communicate with posterity.9 This type of concern by the current developments around Grey’s Monument seem to be non-existent.

In his research, Brett notes that a team of historical

geographers reminds us that sites of memory, such as the tribute to Grey, serve as ‘a constantly re-energised repository of socially and politically relevant traditions and identity…’.10 This is due to the fact that the monument is public, as opposed to private. The shaping and creation of public memory has been open to debate and involved a contest for ideological supremacy. Therefore it is worth mentioning that the Latin origin of the word ‘monument’: ‘monere’, which means ‘to remind’, but also ‘to advise’ and ‘to instruct’.11 This knowledge might emphasise its importance in the formation of a centre for Newcastle.

However, one must not forget that: “Monuments

function like filters that let through only meanings that belong to our set of ideological predispositions. What historical linkages are included and excluded, remembered and forgotten, by whom, when, and for what end constitute part of the contestation for our understanding of the monuments…” 12 Grey’s Monument too has different meanings today than a century ago.

011

7

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.4.

8 Ibid. p.5.

9 Cosgrove, D. & Daniels, S. ‘The Iconography of Landscape’ (1998) pp.7-8.

10 Ibid. p.8.

11 Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.5.

12 Boime, A. ‘The Unveiling of the National Icons: A Plea for Patriotic Iconoclasm in a Nationalist Era’ (1998) pp.7-8.

Perhaps, regardless of what the meaning of Grey’s

Monument is today, the important fact is that it is the type of permanent ‘city-object’, a ‘lieux de mémoire’, instructing locals in one way or another. The meaning might change from decade to decade, but the crucial fact is that the meaning is there in the first place. Therefore one must agree with the possibility of ‘careful planning of monuments’ in order to convey messages to future generations. However the only way to be capable of planning such a complex socio-historical matrix is to understand the various parts of a monument, like that of Earl Grey’s in Newcastle, in light of various other similar monuments.

John Ruskin (1819-1900), a contemporary of Grey,

describes memory as the sixth lamp of architecture - ‘it is in becoming memorial or monument that a true perfection is attained by civil and domestic buildings; and this partly as they are, with such a view, built in a more stable manner, and partly as their decorations are consequently animated by a metaphorical of historical meaning.’13 The Monument surely contains these historical meanings, but they are deeply covered in the dust of time. One must attempt to extract them somehow, to come to a better understanding of its role as a site of memory.

The following sub-sections (2.1-2.3) of the research

focus on three main physical aspects forming the Monument: statue, column, base. This division directly referencing the archetypal Roman ‘Victory Column’ commemorating Trajan and his Dacian Wars. 14

13

Ruskin, J. ‘The Seven Lamps of Architecture’ (1886) p.187.

14 Lepper, F & Frere, S. ‘Trajan’s Column’ (1988) p.19.

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Figure 6 Shows scale of Statue on the platform and possibility to visit it as a tourist.

From: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread. php?t=1056811&page=11 [Last Visited 18.01.2016]

§ 2.1 The Statue of Earl Grey [Character]

At first glance, the main purpose of the Monument

seems to be to elevate the statue of Grey to a vantage point above the city, in order to celebrate his person and achievements: the 1832 Reform Bill.15 It is therefore important to understand why he was such an important character in the history of Britain and Newcastle - what he did for the country and how it affected the city of Newcastle and its people.

The following short history of Earl Grey does not

attempt to be an exhaustive biographical account of his life. G M Trevelyan’s biography of Grey can be further consulted for a detailed account of his life.16 My referencing merely demonstrates Greys main achievements, leading to the construction of the monument commemorating him.

013

15

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.4.

16 Trevelyan, G.M. ‘Lord Grey of the Reform bill: the life of Charles, second Earl Grey’ (1929)

Lord Charles Second Earl Grey (1764-1845) was a Whig

politician, born in Falledon, near Alnwick, in Northumberland.

The Grey family-name was a blessing, since it is of great antiquity and well-respected in the area. Had he not been born into an aristocratic family of affluence and influence, the history of Britain might not look so bright today. His name and political merits allowed him to become the MP for Northumberland, to eventually become the leader of the Whig party in 1806 and to be appointed Prime-Minister in 1830, eight years prior to the unveiling of his Monument in the heart of Newcastle.17 The Grey Monument became perhaps symbolic of local pride, because of Lord Grey’s origins in Northumberland: ‘a local man made good’.18

During his time as a Prime-Minister he proposed a

Great Reform Bill, which would allow a new cohort of citizens to vote as part of the electorate. Unfortunately for the majority, this did not include the entire population, but only a small minority of ‘respectable, intelligent and well-educated’ men with vast new forms of property and wealth, generated by the Industrial Revolution. Roughly 800,000 out of a possible 24,000,000. Essentially, the Reform Act ‘acknowledged the status and respectability of many members of the middle classes and their right to a stake in the political system’.19 It is no wonder that those wealthy individuals, now able to partake in political decisions, would wish to put up a statue of their great leader.

Today’s accounts of Lord Grey are that of a positive

proto-democrat who created the conditions for his 1832 Reform Bill through a “80 years’ drama that has made us a great democracy”.20 However, no reputable historian would accept this twentieth century re-interpretation of the Earl: ‘His ideas about representation and reform were those of an eighteenth century Whig, not a nineteenth century liberal or a twentieth century democrat’.21

17

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.15.

18 Ibid. p.16.

19 Ibid. p.8.

20 Trevelyan, G.M. ‘Lord Grey of the Reform bill: the life of Charles, second Earl Grey’ (1929) 21 Derry, J. ‘Charles Earl Grey, Aristocratic Reformer’ (1992) p.215.

014

Figure 7 Original Inscription at the base of the Monument (1854)

The inscription

[Figure 7]

at the base of the monument

captures the solemn tone of his era:

“During an active political career of nearly half a century

[Grey] was the constant advocate of peace and the fearless and consistent champion of civil and religious liberty. He first turned his attention to the amendment of the representation of the people in 1792 and was the minister by whose advice and under whose guidance the great measure of parliamentary reform was, after an arduous and protracted struggle, safely and triumphantly achieved in the year 1832.”

All in all, ‘the Grey Monument appeared to be a powerful

affirmation of a region’s veneration of a local hero’.22 However, his heroic status was not immediate. This inscription was only added to the monument in 1854, nine years after Grey’s death in 1845.

While the 1832 Reform Bill was positive for the leading

middle classes, allowing them to join the electorate, it largely ignored that vast majority of the British population. And, this was not met without dissatisfaction and criticism by the inhabitants of Newcastle and other parts of the country. Grey was lambasted by some for his Reform Bill.23 22

Should he have been elevated to such monumental

heights in the first place?

015

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.16.

23 Ibid. p.26.

Figure 8 3d model of the Monument as a generative exercise to dissect its attributes.

§ 2.2 The Column [Elevation]

This section focuses on the physical attributes of the

Column on top of which the statue of Earl Grey stands. These are important, since they create the necessary conditions for the Monument to be perceived as a grand gesture of commemoration.

Its location at the junction between two of Newcastle’s

major streets: Grey Street and Grainger Street. Today it also in the midst of another intersection: above the most used metrostation, which makes it a bustling hive of activity within the city.

However, it is perhaps not even perceived as a commemoration of Grey, but merely as “Monument”, as the name of the station suggests. 24

24

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.38.

016

Its height at 41 metres helps it stand above most of its

surrounding edifices, and it accentuates and closes the vistas of the streets it invites towards it. The fluted Roman Doric Column, on top of which a statue of Lord Grey stands in classical robes, from where he ‘looks down on the people beneath, the very embodiment of paternal concern, patrician statesmanship and aristocratic disinterestedness.’25 is nothing too remarkable in its context of fine listed buildings and various distracting shopwindows. Therefore its height is probably one its most important attributes, even though it was originally intended to be even higher at 45 metres, as intended by Benjamin Green.26

The physical dimensions of the statue can be found in

Fordyce’s, ‘Local Records; Or Historical Register of Remarkable Events which have occurred in Northumberland and Durham’ (1867).27 Ian Ayris’ ‘A guide to public monuments and sculpture of Tyne and Wear’ (1996) 28

One of the best descriptive accounts of the Monument

is provided by a contemporary architect, Thomas Oliver, who also participated in the competition to design the monument: “The column is fluted and the uvula of the capital carved; the frieze is ornamental and all the other mouldings are plain. The pedestal of the column has a panel in each of the four sides, and the square pedestal below the figure has a moulded capital and is surrounded by an iron palisading, placed upon the capital of the column, from which a spiral staircase, in the centre of the column, is continued to the ground.” 29

I have attempted a personal representation the column

through observational drawings completed from a dissection of the physical attributes of the Monument. [Figure 8]

017

25

Cannadine, D. ‘G M Trevelyan: A Life In History’ (1992) p.95.

26 Ayris, I. et al. ‘A Guide to the Public Monuments & Sculpture of Tyne & Wear’ (1996) p.12.

27 Fordyce, T. ‘Local Records; Or Historical Register of Remarkable Events which have occurred in Northumberland and Durham’ (1867) pp.12-13.

26 Ayris, I. et al. ‘A Guide to the Public Monuments & Sculpture of Tyne & Wear’ (1996) pp.12-13.

29 Oliver, T. ‘Plan of the Borough of Newcastle Upon Tyne’ (1844)

Figure 9 Trajan’s Column - the archetypal Victory Column http://www.ancient.eu/ Trajans_Column/ [Last Visited: 20.01.2016]

§2.21 Archetype [Trajan’s Column]

The archetype for the Monument, and various other

columns of similar typology is Trajan’s Column in Rome [Figure 9].

It too consists of three clearly distinct parts: the statue on

its pedestal, the column proper and the base.30 However, the functions of each element are slightly different in this case.

Similarly we are confronted with plurality of function. The three functions of Trajan’s Column are: being a ‘mark of height’, to contain Trajan’s tomb at its base, and its reliefs to celebrate the Roman Conquest of Dacia. 31

Grey’s Monument in Newcastle quite clearly lacks

the narrative ornamental reliefs found imprinted on Trajan’s Column, but this does not necessarily mean it is lacking the ability to be a historic place of remembrance and commemoration: the inscriptions on the Grey Monument perform a similar function, but in a less graphical manner. [Figure 9]

30

Lepper, F & Frere, S. ‘Trajan’s Column’ (1988) p.19.

31 Ibid. p.19.

018

Nelson’s - London

Aurelius - Rome - ±193?

Trajan’s - Rome - 113

Pedro IV - Lisbon - 1874

Wellington’s - Liverpool - 1865

Columbus - Barcelona - 1888

Victory - Berlin - 1873

Soldiers/Sailors - Buffalo - 1884

Figure 10

Non-exhaustive list of various Victory Columns

According to Lepper and Frere, some historians

focusing solely on Trajan’s Dacian Wars often assumed that the

https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Victory_column

reliefs were its ‘main purpose’.32 Nevertheless, both columns are celebrations of the accomplishments of important men,

[Last Visited 20.01.2016]

leaders, paid for by their followers, who benefited from their actions. Therefore, two important memorable inscriptions exist on the base of Grey’s Monument - the original 19th century one commemorating Grey’s achievements

[Figure 7]

and a second

one opened in 1932, a hundred years after the Reform Bill, remembering the late Prime Minister and the effects of his Bill.

Brett describes this best as a self-congratulatory project as well as a demonstration of gratitude to the leader. Grey himself did not even attend the laying of the foundation-stone or the placing of the statue on the column. 33

Like Trajan’s Column in Rome, Grey’s Monument has

not withstood time without some damage and repair. In the 1940s, the statue was hit by lightning and the head of the Earl was badly damaged. It was later refurbished by the local sculptor Roger Hedley in 1947.34

019

32

Lepper, F & Frere, S. ‘Trajan’s Column’ (1988) p.19.

33 Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.x.

34 Ayris, I. et al. ‘A Guide to the Public Monuments & Sculpture of Tyne & Wear’ (1996) p.12.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

Figure 11

e. People Sitting and enjoying the atmosphere f. Protester enjoying a smoke. g. A Place to meet. h. Grainger Street on a busy day.

Selection of Photographs of Greys Monument Base: a. Looking down towards Grey Street b. Collection of donations. c. Pedestrians endangering themselves. d. Loitering by the base of the Monument 020

Figure 12

The Base of the Monument - a Place of Remembrance?

§2.3 ‘The Base’ Place of Remembrance?

The two elements discussed previously play an

important role in creating a presence for the Monument, but for maximum effect a key decision the Grey Monument Committee had to make was its location. This decision was not simple, since the influence of the Earl was widely spread and many of his followers wished to commemorate him in their own localities: proposals included South Shields, Howick Heugh, Rimside Moor and the Town Moor. At this stage, even the form of the monument was ambiguous: whether it would be pyramidal, or even an obelisk.35

Today, regardless of the initial confusions about its size,

shape and site, the base of the Monument is a place of gathering, a popular meeting place and Newcastle’s equivalent of Speakers Corner.36 It is used by buskers, street-performers, exhibitions, a market, demonstrations, leafleting, to view sporting events and various other activities [Figures 11-12]. Essentially, it has become a hub of activity in the centre, but this is perhaps due to the multiplicity of activities surrounding the Monument itself, rather than a celebration of the memory of the Earl.

021

35

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.21-22.

36 Ibid. p.6.

Figure 13 By the base.

Nevertheless, a monument of such importance might

be a reason for the activities spawning next to it. In Alexanders terms, perhaps it is the ‘something roughly in the middle’37 that Newcastle required. The location of the Monument is crucial for its popularity as a public concourse. Had it been erected on the Town Moor, amidst the cows, it would perhaps have suffered the same fate as the Collingwood monument in Tynemouth.

The environs of the Monument therefore become a

site of memory, which has promoted transformations, be they physical or societal. In his treatise ‘Seven Lamps of Architecture’ John Ruskin calls the laws of the art of architecture its Lamps.

One of the seven he identifies is that of Memory.

“Better the rudest work that tells a story or records a fact,

than the richest without meaning.”38 According to Ruskin, the story of the Monument would be more important than its sheer artistic beauty. “It is the far sight, the quiet and confident patience, that, above all other attributes, separate man from man, and near him to his Maker… Therefore, when we build, let us think that we build for ever.”39

“Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone;

let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, “See! this us fathers did for us.”40

His 30th Aphorism explains his feelings best: “…the

greatest glory of a building is not in its stones, nor in its gold.

Its glory is in its Age, and in that deep sense of voicefulness, if stern watching, of mysterious sympathy, nay, even of approval of condemnation, which we feel in walls that have long been washed by the passing waves of humanity.”41 But he goes onto say that: “Restoration, so called, is the worst manner of Destruction.”42

022

37

Alexander, C. ‘A Pattern Language’ (1977) p.606.

38 Ruskin, J. ‘The Seven Lamps of Architecture’ (1886) p.183.

39 Ibid. p.186.

40 Ibid. p.186.

41 Ibid. pp.186-187.

42 Ibid. p.194.

Ruskin elaborates on this: “Do not let us deceive ourselves

in this important matter; it is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture… Another spirit may be given by another time, and it is then a new building,”43 His response to restoration is to: “Take proper care of your monuments, and you will not need to restore them.” 44

Therefore, in a way, the Grey Monument is an

architectural move showcasing a common past, bringing various benefits to the liveliness of the city. Its restoration may not be important, but taking care of it is. And what better way to take care of history than to continuously re-invent its meanings within the city through transforming its role?

Figure 14

A historic presence? Or Marketing Ploy?

43

Ruskin, J. ‘The Seven Lamps of Architecture’ (1886) p.194.

44 Ibid. p.196.

023

Figure 15

construction/ tranformations Monument Mall https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/439030663653375131/ [Last Visited 18.01.2016]

024

Figure 16

construction of the Metro underneath the Grade 1 Listed Monument (1980)

§3.0 Transformations

https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/439030663653375131/

This section looks into some of the transformations that

[Last Visited 18.01.2016]

have occurred in the area of the Monument, since the time it was constructed and it sets the scene for the answering of the research question: Can places like the Monument in Newcastle be translocated or designed?

‘In 1906, the column became an enormous piece of street-

furniture adorned from its summit with imperial flags, bunting, shrubs, drapes and flowers’ If anything, this image highlights that the monument is a focal point of civic identity. “The public generally see the centre of their city as special, important for the sense of quality, relative permanence and continuity with the past which it provides, in contrast to so much, including elements of the built environment, which nowadays appears transient. It is evident that the historic form of the city centre plays an important part in the ‘self image’ of Newcastle and its people.”45

A crucial transformative event in the history of the

Monument is the arrival of the metro in the 1980’s, and the subsequent pedestrianisation of its immediate context46 16).

(Figure

This allowed for the regeneration of the area, through

bringing shoppers and visitors to the very heart of Newcastle.47

Additionally, it reduced the traffic in the centre, allowing

for people to wander without being in danger of collision.

However, Blackett Street still has some vehicular traffic crossing

45

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.38.

46 Muge, A. ‘The changing ‘publicness’ of contemporary public spaces: a case study of the Grey’s Monument Area, Newcastle upon Tyne’ (2005) p.x.

47

025

Ibid. p.x.

the Monument area, with buses, taxis and delivery vehicles having to manoeuvre through the crowds of pedestrians. This hangover of the 1980s has been widely criticised and has proved dangerous to the careless pedestrian of the 21st century, who are often distracted by their novel smart-phone technology. This situation is not helped by the fact that the vehicles pass the Grade 1 listed column at speeds that show no consideration or respect to its importance. 48

As part of his 2000 paper Brett highlights that, at the

time of writing, the turn of the century, and millennium, that The Grainger Town Partnership, formed three years prior is currently aiming to ‘regenerate the area, improve the environment and revitalise its business, social and cultural life’ 49 with an ambitious £120 million regeneration programme, due to finish in 2003.

Brett concludes his paper on the Monument by a short

statement: “Relative permanence and continuity with the past had been central objectives for Lord Grey in framing the Reform Act of 1832. The future for his monument at the beginning of the twentyfirst century looked remarkably secure.” 50

Fifteen years on, the regeneration continues. After all,

‘Grey’s Monument is perhaps the best known landmark in Grainger Town and a symbol of the area’s history and spirit.’ 51 [Figure 17]

In the beginning of 2016, the area surrounding the

monument is again changing, if not in nature, somewhat in its uses. The Monument remains a symbol of permanence within the heart of the city. Although, it is not being given the acclaim that it perhaps deserves.

No matter what the transformations surrounding the

Monument will be, it will always serve as a vessel attracting investment due to its historic importance. Even though it is not the only public monument in Newcastle, it certainly remains the most elevated one, literally and metaphorically. Its location is key to its success, but this is not enough to truly preserve its memory.

Therefore a physical translocation of it would perhaps not work, but moving the principles of its creation might well serve to create public places of interest for many cities in the world.

026

48

Muge, A. ‘The changing ‘publicness’ of contemporary public spaces: a case study of the Grey’s Monument Area, Newcastle upon Tyne’ (2005) p.x.

49 Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000) p.2.

50 Ibid. p.39.

51 Ibid. p.2.

Figure 17

Future of Grey’s Quarter http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/ business-news/construction-starts-newcastle-city-centre-9575038 [Last Visited 18.01.2016]

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§4.0 Conclusions

To conclude, The Monument seems to be important as

a symbol of permanence in a seemingly transient world. Can places like Earl Grey’s Monument be designed pre-emptively, or are they born through a complex evolution in the urban fabric of the city?

A simple answer is that they can easily be designed,

but they might work in unexpected ways. Grey’s Monument was never intended to become such an important public node: it was merely the public celebration of a great leader. The fact that it has become a major hub in the centre is down to luck, some planning, and perhaps knowledge of the characteristic of monuments. One might argue that Grainger could clearly foresee the benefits of adding a climax to the end of his newly planned streets.

However, it is certain that he could not foresee the

radical transformations its surrounding area has undergone, improving its popularity - the metro, Eldon Square. Grey’s Monument is unique, due to its location: in other cities, the competition for presence is totally different. For instance, in London, there are various similar columns, which do not share the same privilege than Grey’s Monument does in Newcastle.

Nevertheless, they serve as important public places for the enjoyment of the inhabitants and visitors alike.

Perhaps the answer lies in the people themselves. The

Monument is important as a ‘lieux de memoire’ within the city, but every era has its own uses for monuments: it used to be the ‘vehicle’ for a ‘heroic constitutional narrative’ in the 19th and 20th centuries, but today it has been re-invented as a driver for redevelopment. It used to be the self-congratulatory celebration of the Whig leader, but it has become a historic marketing tool for the continued regeneration of Grainger Town [Figure 18].

In essence, the ability for monuments to adapt to

changing times is crucial here: through the use of monuments, one can imbue a place with enough history and memory to give it the prerequisites for development in the future. However, this might negate the original intentions of the commemorative device. Earl Grey’s story might be forgotten by most of the inhabitants of Newcastle, but his Monument remains as a reminder and adviser from the past. This does not make Grey’s story futile though. It merely shows the actions of today may

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Figure 18

Using Grey’s Monument as a marketing tool. (January 2016)

influence the future, whether they are remembered or forgotten.

Lord Grey’s actions were necessary for the construction of such a great public monument, even if it is being used in unexpected ways.

If it were not for Grey and his followers, the city of

Newcastle might look very different. Hence, it is crucial to study the past for understanding present conditions and to have an ability to think of their future more carefully. Essentially, this paper about the Monument serves as a lesson in learning about our historic surroundings, and as an exercise of the techniques that one might utilise to analyse those, without simply assuming every historic building should be preserved, restored or praised.

Therefore this paper tries to demonstrate that an ability

to review the existing built-environment from a historic, social and political perspective might inform present practice. It proposes that developers, planners and architects should engage in ever closer studies of important historic elements of the city, to come to an understanding and acknowledgement of their meanings and histories. This engagement might allow for a more respectful response to the design of places. “How then could a building establish itself as critical and put it context in negative or critical perspective?” 52

52

Jameson, F. ‘Is Space Political?’ in ‘Rethinking Architecture’ (1997) p.246.

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Ayris, I. et al. ‘A Guide to the Public Monuments & Sculpture of Tyne & Wear’ (1996).

Brett, P. ‘The Grey Monument: The Making of a Regional Landmark’ (2000).

Boime, A. ‘The Unveiling of the National Icons: A Plea for Patriotic Iconoclasm in a Nationalist Era’ (1998).

Cannadine, D. ‘G M Trevelyan: A Life In History’ (1992).

Cosgrove, D. & Daniels, S. ‘The Iconography of Landscape’ (1998).

Derry, J. ‘Charles Earl Grey, Aristocratic Reformer’ (1992).

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Lovie, D. ‘The buildings of Grainger Town : four townscape walks around Newcastle’ (2001).

Müge, A. ‘The changing ‘publicness’ of contemporary public spaces: a case study of the Grey’s Monument Area, Newcastle upon Tyne’ [Urban Design International - Peer Reviewed Journal] (2005).

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List of Illustrations cover: Grey’s Monument - Divided into its essence.

1. View of Monument From Grainger Street [author] 2. Relationship between architectural elements of the Monument [author] 3. Selection of Angles of Approach [author] 4. Selection of Angles of Approach [author] 5. Map of Presence [author] 6. Scale of Statue [attributed on page 13] 7. Inscription on Base [author] 8. Elevational Device [author] 9. Trajan’s Column [attributed on page 18] 10. Non-exhaustive list of various Victory Columns [attributed on page 19] 11. Selection of Photographs of Greys Monument Base Inhabitation [author] 12. The Base of the Monument - a Place of Remembrance? [author] 13. By the base. [author] 14. A historic presence? Or Marketing Ploy? [author] 15. construction/tranformations Monument Mall [attributed on page 24] 16. construction of the Metro underneath the Grade 1 Listed Monument (1980) [attributed on page 25] 17. Future of Grey’s Quarter [attributed on page 27] 18. Using Grey’s Monument as a marketing tool. (January 2016) [author]

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