One Statue I Dislike/one Statue I Like

Inspired by Shale's Columbus thread, Here are 2 statues that stand in my hometown.

This is Clive of India, Robert Clive (1725-74), head of the British East India Company. A deceitful, rapacious and drunken opium dealing brigand in my humble opinion.
To my mind the imperialist values for which Clive stands are exactly the mentality that people really do need to put firmly in the past, and open their eyes to the dark underbelly of history, because it's often not what has been taught to them by establishment historians on the BBC.
I doubt that many Brits are very familiar with the story of how Britain came to rule India. It's a dirty little tale of betrayal, brutality, racism and greed.

Clive currently stands in the Square, Shrewsbury, Shropshire (he was born in the small town of Market Drayton nearby).
I think he should go.


The building in the background is the Old Market Hall, and dates from the Tudor period. It was built as a wool market at a time when the town had become rich on the wool trade. The small statue on the front of the building is actually older still,from the middle ages, and was moved to it's present site in the 18th century from where it originally stood on the town's Welsh Bridge which was being rebuilt . The knight is Richard of York..

Second statue is more to my liking - Charles Darwin, a man who I think needs little in the way of introduction from me. He was born in Shrewsbury 12 feb 1809, and was educated at Shrewsbury school. His fascination with nature developed when he was a boy roving in the then still pristine Shropshire countryside.




Darwin sits in his armchair outside the local library building, which once housed the same Shrewsbury School, founded in 1552 by Edward VI.

I don't know exactly who the small figure to Darwin's left represents. May just be a scholar. The coat of arms above him and partially obscured is some version of the royal coat of arms, and announces that the school was founded by royal charter.