Sailor Billy
He's the one everyone forgets - the last of the Hanoverian kings, in between George IV (who is forever engraved on my heart as played by Hugh Laurie) and Victoria (Judi Dench). And he was, frankly, a bit forgotten in his own time too. William IV wasn't ever really meant to be king - he was a third son and he managed to slip through life to the age of 64 as merely a slight embarrassment to the Royal family.The family did what they always do with younger sons - stuck him in the services - he joined the navy, where he had a marvellous time, doing all the things that sailors traditionally did, bar much in the way of fighting. He did his share of the cooking, a lot of drinking and a little brawling. He was a great pal of Nelson - he insisted on giving the bride away when Nelson married.
He wanted to be a Duke, but the king wasn't having any of it, so William threatened to enter the House of Commons (this was still in the days of rotten boroughs - he was going to buy Totnes) and the king acquiesced at the thought of William on the hustings. He became the Duke of Clarence and the Earl of Munster was thrown in for good measure. He was a bit of a loose cannon - he said he was a Whig, but he really just did random stuff - such as opposing the abolition of slavery, saying it wouldn't do the slaves any good to be freed, which on reflection probably wasn't the strongest argument for the case.
A whole load of stuff happened during his seven year reign between 1830 and 1837 - not least the end of those pesky rotten boroughs - but he himself wasn't a particularly exciting king (though I guess after George IV anything must have seemed a breath of fresh air...) There were good and bad things about his reign - he was the last king to install a prime minister against the will of Parliament, for example - but on the plus side he gave most of George IV's paintings to the nation.
I guess what most people remember him for is his relationship with the actress/courtesan Mrs Jordan, with whom he had a staggering ten children. Since none of them were legitimate, when he died the throne went to his niece Victoria though it's possible that the illegitimate kids will have the last laugh - Wikipedia tells me that Tory leader David Cameron is a descendant of one of them...
So why am I writing about Sailor Billy today? Well - because something seems to be happening to him in Greenwich. Our statue of him originally stood in King William Street in the City - here's an old pic:
It was moved to Greenwich in 1936 to fill the gap left by the demolition of St Mary's Church just by the main gate to Greenwich Park, where he's quietly stood ever since, surrounded by a beech hedge and, if memory serves, low stones marking the perimeters of the old church.I was walking past last week and I saw the hedge had gone, replaced by builders' hoardings. Poor old Billy stood alone in a sea of mud. I can only assume it's part of the new Sammy Ofer wing.
But - can they do this? I have heard rumour that no one actually knows who owns that land - and that underneath the grass still lie vaults with graves and bodies in.
I don't know anything at all about this - but would be very interested to hear if the rumours are true - and if so, how the NMM has managed to sneakily disturb Billy's peace...
Labels: Debates, Greenwich news, Mostly-Accurate History
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
08:42
14 Comments:
Hmmm... "Just" William...
If my eyes don't deceive me, that isn't "just" King William Street - that's the massively important junction at the top of London Bridge, where King William Street connects Cannon Street, Eastcheap and Gracechurch Street!
Hmmm... I don't think I'd wish it on anyone to try standing in the middle of that junction, today... they probably wouldn't last very long!
Thanks for answering a bit of a query I'd had: I actually went along Nevada St just the other night (after the fireworks) and it gave me a bit of a double take to see what was happening at the end. Thanks for going some way to answering it.
Yes - aparently he was made homeless when they widened the street - he was creating a bit of a bottleneck.
I am hoping someone here can help me to go the rest of the way to answering that question, Roger...
I really don't know whether the NMM can do this or whether they've quietly appropriated the land...
Well, in my view it is, perhaps like its subject, not a very distinguished statue. It's more notable aspect is its sheer size./
Whatever, it has been part of that corner of the park for over 70 years, and we would miss him if he were to be shifted.
Yet, another case of Greenwich's moving statues, like the two long forgotten admirals that once stood either side of the Queen's House, only to be reclaimed, in a Morlock like grab, by the NMM and brought indoors to buttress the upstairs trophy chest.
Couldn't he put on his side to make a novelty jump for the Olympics?!!
I don't get the feeling Billy himself is to be moved - he still stands proud - its his surroundings that are changing - from green grass to, currently mud. Perhaps they'll pave it over for more concession stands or picnic tables.
I had taken a couple of pics that I meant to send you, Phantom, but I forgot. I was curious as to why they had put gates (padlocked) facing onto Nevada Street when there was a low (2 or 3 courses) wall in front of them.
I was also concerned for the safety and preservation of the Church and Crypt/cellar as well as any Graves. Surely the site is owned by the C of England? But, as you say, it wouldn't be the first time that something was appropriated by the NMM and who would check?
It's for access for the building so the demolition trucks can get in and out
Thank you, Anon. You've put my mind at rest - do you know if they'll reinstate that hedge afterwards?
Won't King Billy get the boot? I thought we were losing that garden, along with the kids' pirate ship.
Hard to tell from the nmm web site.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/about/sammy-ofer-wing/what-will-the-wing-look-like
I never really paid the statue much attention until Arthur Smith pointed out that if you look at it from the side, it looks as if Sailor Billy's holding his...
(sorry)
Sorry - I know it's OT, but I've just been taking a closer look at the picture of King William Street and in particular the hoarding above one of the shops on the left.
Hmmm... can that sign really say the Natioanl Truss Society.
Apparently, yes. According to a Victorian London site, "NATIONAL TRUSS SOCIETY (Instituted 1786), 3, Crooked-lane, Cannon-street ... Object: For the relief of the ruptured poor of both sexes throughout the kingdom, and also provides many other surgical appliances in addition to trusses... "
Blimey - it does too, Roger. The Ruptured Poor! Goodness me.
Okay - I've got some more news on this project. Apparently the NMM bought the site from the previous owners, the Seamans Hospital Trust, and they are, apparently, all too aware of the underground tombs (BTW I've never heard of any ghost stories from that area...) and will be very careful.
It's going to be a new route to the extension Sammy Ofer Wing and King William will stay where he is.
I hope they keep SOME grass and SOME beech hedge...
The plans in the NMM itself show quite clearly that he's staying put both during and post the development- looked to me that there'll be a new path to his right hand side which cuts away a good part of what was grass (or church)
mieckiI agree with you, dear Greenwich Phantom, I too hope they re-instate the lawn, the hedge and public access. This was always a great picnic spot with small children as they can run around with no dog mess, relatively enclosed and private.
The courtyard of the new students's flats further down the street used to be open - and there is a "public" statue there - funded as such - the throne. The children used to love sitting there (as was intended by the sculptor) but now the gates are padlocked :-( and the public art lost. I hope King William doesn't go the same way.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home