Statue of Edward VI (Scheemakers)

The statue of Edward VI by Peter Scheemakers at St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth, London is one of two statues of the king at the hospital. Both commemorate Edward's re-founding of the hospital in 1551. It was moved to its current location inside the North Wing of the hospital in the 20th century. The sculpture was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 1979.

Statue of Edward VI (Scheemakers)
ArtistPeter Scheemakers
Completion date1737
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze
SubjectEdward VI
LocationLondon
Coordinates51.4992°N 0.1195°W / 51.4992; -0.1195
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameBronze Statue of Edward VI
Designated30 May 1979
Reference no.1080372

Edward VI
Main article: Edward VI of England

Edward VI was the son of Henry VIII and his third queen, Jane Seymour. Born on 12 October 1537, he succeed his father at the age of nine in 1547 but never attained his majority, dying aged 15 in 1553.[1] During the Reformation St Thomas', as a religious foundation, was deprived of its revenues and estates and was closed in 1540.[2] In 1551, Edward granted a charter for the hospital's refounding.[3]

St Thomas' Hospital
Main article: St Thomas' Hospital

The origin of St Thomas' Hospital was the sick house attached to the Church of St Mary Overie[4] in Southwark, founded in the 12th century.[5] By the late 17th century, the hospital was in a dilapidated state and Sir Robert Clayton employed the architect, and St Thomas' governor, Thomas Cartwright to undertake complete rebuilding.[6] The new buildings, of red brick and in a classical style were completed just after Clayton's death, in 1709.[4] Following the complete reconstruction of the hospital in 1872, on a site further up the River Thames at Lambeth,[6] the statue was moved to the new site and has been repositioned subsequently.[7]

Description

The sculptor Peter Scheemakers came from a family of sculptors. Of Flemish origin, both his father and his two sons worked in the profession. He came to London some time before 1720 and made his reputation with the bust of William Shakespeare in Westminster Abbey in 1740.[8] His statue of Edward VI predates that work.[9] In bronze, the effigy shows the king in period dress. The inscription on the plinth records that the cost of the sculpture was met by Charles Toye Esq., Treasurer of the hospital. The sculpture was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 1979.[10]

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References
  1. "BBC – History – Edward VI". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  2. "King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : ST THOMAS'S HOSPITAL: Medical school records". www.kingscollections.org. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  3. "St Thomas' Hospital – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. "History of St Thomas' Hospital – Florence Nightingale Museum London". www.florence-nightingale.co.uk.
  5. "St Thomas' Hospital – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  6. "St Thomas' Hospital, London". 17 February 2014.
  7. Cherry & Pevsner 2002, p. 361.
  8. "Peter Scheemakers – Person – National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  9. "PMSA". www.pmsa.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  10. Historic England. "Bronze Statue of Edward VI  (Grade II*) (1080372)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2019.

Sources
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