The Brave Benbow website [visit link] makes mention of the
busts:
"Busts, head and shoulders, within
decorated roundels, of British admirals in uniforms of their period. Each
roundel consists of a plain outer moulding with inner circular wreath (laurel?)
topped by single rose motif. The base has an inscription panel with each
admiral’s surname. The innermost moulding is rimmed by a rope. All are in very
high relief. Each head is either more or less face on or at a three quarter turn
to the left or right. They run along the top of the north facade of the building
facing the river. From left to right (east to west): Anson, Drake, Cook (these
first three on east pavilion), Howard, Blake, Benbow, Sandwich (over door),
Rodney, Duncan, Collingwood, Howe, Nelson, St Vincent."
The building is Grade II listed and the
entry at the English Heritage website [visit
link] tells us:
"Former rackets courts, now
laboratories. The western block 1874-5 by Colonel Clarke RE, the central screen
and eastern part identical in design and added in 1882-3 by General Pudsey RE to
form a symmetrical composition. Converted to laboratories in c.1906. Stone and
stuccoed facades, roof hidden by high parapets. Seven-bay screen with higher
two-bay ends. Tuscan pilasters across screen break forward into pairs of Ionic
columns set between engaged columns with fluted capitals, all these in antis
under projecting parapets at ends. The parapets are elaborate, with raised
centrepieces supported on swags and urns set on high and elaborately carved
plinths as cornerpieces; all this decoration the work of C R Smith. Rusticated
ground floor. At first-floor height busts in high relief set in roundels depict
from east to west: Anson, Drake, Cook, Howard, Blake, Benbow, Sandwich, Rodney,
Duncan, Collingwood, Howe, Nelson and St Vincent. Nine-bay side elevations and
three-bay rear also denoted by pilasters, the ground floor rusticated under
fluted frieze and with empty first-floor roundels. Above these a deep frieze and
an attic storey also broken into bays by short pilaster strips."
The Royal Naval
Museum website [visit
link:http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_jervis.htm] tells us about
John Jervis - Earl St Vincent:
"Born 9
January 1735 at Meaford, Staffordshire. He was educated at Burton on Trent
Grammar School and subsequently at a private school in Greenwich, to which the
family moved in 1747 when his father was appointed Solicitor to the Admiralty
and Treasurer to Greenwich Hospital. He joined the navy on 4 January 1748 as an
Able Seaman on HMS Gloucester, a 4th rate 50 gun ship going to Jamaica. He was
moved to HMS Severn on June 25 1754 as a Midshipman. He returned to England
after joining HMS Sphinx on 30 June 1754. He spent a month in HMS Seaford
followed by a month in the yacht, Mary and completed his six years qualifying
service for Lieutenant. He was promoted to this rank after passing his
examination on 22 January 1755. He was appointed in this rank to HMS Royal
George on 19 February 1755, but was moved in March to HMS Nottingham, with which
he went out to the North American station under Admiral Edward Boscowen. In
March 1756, we was appointed to HMS Devonshire, followed by HMS Prince on 22
June, which was leaving for the Mediterranean.
In October
1756, he was moved to HMS Culloden under Rear-Admiral Charles Saunders, under
whose patronage he was to benefit from in the next few years. During January
1757, he briefly joined HMS Experiment while her Captain was ill. In March, he
commanded the ship in a severe but indecisive engagement with a French privateer
off Cape Gata. He returned to HMS Culloden, but followed Saunders when he was
transferred to HMS St George. Jervis was appointed to HMS Foudroyant in May
1758, a captured French prize, and he was charged with taking her back to
England. On his return to England, he joined HMS Neptune and rejoined Saunders
at the North American station, where Saunders had been made Commander in Chief.
Jervis was promoted to Commander on 15 May 1759 and appointed to HMS Scorpion
where a vacancy had occurred. However, before be able to join his ship, he was
appointed as acting Commander to HMS Porcupine, and took part in the expedition
to Quebec, leading the advanced squadron in charge of the transports. On his
ship, he carried General James Wolfe, who was impressed by Jervis’ command and
entrusted him with what was to become his last message home. When Jervis
eventually joined HMS Scorpion, he was charged with returning to England with
dispatches from Quebec. His return was brief; on arrival, he was immediately
ordered back to the station with important letters for General Amherst. However,
before leaving British waters, HMS Scorpion sprung a leak and Jervis had to
bring her into Plymouth. He was then directed to take another ship, HMS Albany
and finally departed on 13 January 1760. He arrived later in February and, by
May was crossing the Atlantic once more for home.
Once back in
England, he joined the Channel Fleet under Rear-Admiral Rodney until the
October, when he joined HMS Gosport and was promoted to the rank of Captain. The
ship was employed in the North Sea until May 1762, when it was ordered to escort
a convoy heading for North America. On May 11, the ship fell in with and
repelled a French squadron, under de Ternay, which was on its way to capture
Newfoundland. Jervis rejoined the North American station in September and the
ship took part in operations that recovered the captured Newfoundland from the
French. After this, HMS Gosport returned to England and was paid off in the
Spring of 1763.
Jervis was not
in active service again until February 1769, when he was appointed to HMS Alarm
– possibly the first copper-sheathed frigate in the Navy. He sailed for the
Mediterranean in May and arrived in Genoa on 7 September. On 30 March 1770,
while sailing around Marseilles in a violent gale, the ship was driven on to the
rocks, but after a strenuous effort, she was finally freed and repaired. The
Admiralty were greatly pleased by Jervis’ actions in this matter. From 1771 to
May 1772, the ship became the “home” of the Duke of Gloucester, who was spending
time in the Mediterranean because of ill health. She returned to England for
paying off, after which, Jervis spent some time travelling through France and
studying the language. In 1774, he took passage on a merchant ship to
Krondstadt, annotating and correcting the pilotage chart and studying the
Russian navy. On his return, he visited Sweden and Holland, studying the methods
in both their navies.
Jervis
returned to active service with an appointment to HMS Kent in June 1755, but in
September, he was appointed to command the ship which he brought back to England
as a prize, HMS Foudroyant. She was employed mainly as a guardship in Plymouth,
but was attached to Admiral Augustus Keppel’s fleet in 1778 and involved in the
action off Ushant on 27 July. Jervis was a witness at the subsequent
court-martial of Admiral Keppel, due to a dispute between Keppel and his second
in command, Admiral Hugh Palliser. The evidence provided by Jervis was so
strongly in Keppel’s favour, that it was influential in acquitting the Admiral
of all charges against him. HMS Foudroyant remained with the Channel Fleet and
was involved in the reliefs at Gibraltar in 1780 and 1781.
On April 17
1782, the ship gave chase to a French squadron, and captured one of the largest
ship, the Pegase, during which Jervis received a minor wound. His achievement in
this action was rewarded with a knighthood. One of the deciding factors in the
action had been the order and discipline of the English ship’s crew, a feature
that Jervis was noted for in the future. After a few more actions, including
another relief of Gibraltar, this time under Lord Howe in 1782, and a skirmish
off Cape Spartel, the fleet returned to England, where the Foudroyant was paid
off. On his return home, Jervis married his cousin Martha, the daughter of Sir
Thomas Parker.
Jervis was
elected MP for Launceston in January 1883 and served until 1884, when, in the
general election, he stood for and was elected MP for Great Yarmouth. He seldom
spoke except on naval matters, and during this period he was promoted to
Rear-Admiral on 24 September 1787, and spent a few weeks at sea on board HMS
Carnatic. He spent another few weeks at sea during 1790 on board HMS Prince
while the Spanish were rearming. Later in the year, he was returned to
Parliament as MP for Chipping Wycombe.
In February
1793, he attained the rank of Vice-Admiral and was appointed in the autumn to
Commander in Chief West Indies. He hoisted his flag in HMS Boyne and reached the
station in January 1794, During the next few months, the British combined forces
captured Guadaloupe and Martinique. However, Jervis was suffering from ill
health and was permitted to return to England in November. On his return he was
promoted to Admiral on 1 July 1795. Once he had recovered sufficiently, he was
appointed Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean fleet, which he joined at
Corsica in the November. He began to introduce a new system of discipline which
was to have a decisive influence in future engagements. The port of Toulon was
being blockaded and the French fleet were kept in port, until the forced
neutrality of Naples, when Jervis found that, with the addition of the Spanish
fleet, the British had greatly inferior numbers, without a friendly port. In
September 1796, Jervis was ordered to evacuate Corsica, the only port the
British had access to, and withdraw from the Mediterranean; this was completed
by November, when the fleet took up station in the Tagus.
Jervis
realised that it was vital to keep the combined fleet from leaving the
Mediterranean, so took up station in his flagship HMS Victory off Cape St
Vincent in early February 1797. On the 14th, 27 ships of the combined fleet were
sighted – a much larger number than the British. The fleets engaged just after
noon, with the British fleet passing through the Spanish line, splitting them up
and cutting off a third of their number. Assisted by an independent action by
Captain Nelson, which allowed the leading British ships to keep in touch with
the Spanish, the battle was won with the capture of four Spanish ships, the rest
escaping in disorder. On receiving the news in England, a vote of thanks was
passed in the House of Commons, a pension settled on him, he was given the
freedom of the City of London and was granted an earldom from the King. His
earldom took the name from the battle he had just won. Following the battle,
Jervis continued to blockade Cadiz, although rumblings of discontent, stirred by
news of the mutinies at Spithead and the Nore, were firmly suppressed. The
strain of these actions were taking their toll on Jervis’ health and temper;
during this period, he quarreled with his second in command, Sir John Orde, who
asked for a formal court-martial charges against the Admiral for being
oppressively cruel. The Admiralty refused a court-martial but wrote to Jervis in
terms of strong disapproval of his conduct. Jervis’ rigid maintenance of
discipline was becoming unpopular and, after Nelson’s battle at Aboukir Bay, he
ordered the ships to be refitted at Gibraltar rather than return to England in
order to keep the blockade strength which was not welcomed. Finally, Jervis’
health began to fail and he was forced to resign his command in June
1799.
Back in
England, he spent most of his time at his home in Rochetts, Essex, where he had
acquired property. When news of his return to health was known, Sir John Orde
issued a challenge to him over their quarrel in the Mediterranean. The challenge
became public knowledge and both parties were bound over to keep the peace, and
Jervis was formally ordered not to accept by the Admiralty.
Although his
health continued to be a problem, the Admiralty were anxious for Jervis to
return to active service as Commander in Chief Channel Fleet, to which he
finally agreed in Spring 1800. Again, he introduced his system of discipline
into the Fleet; this meant that certain privileges previously enjoyed by the
officers were curtailed, which made him unpopular with the officers, but the
benefits were apparent in routine, organisation, health and efficiency within
the fleet itself.
In Spring 1801, Jervis
accepted the appointment of First Lord of the Admiralty and went about improving the administration
in the same way as he had done in the fleet. This lead
to a Royal Commission of Enquiry into irregularities within the Navy
Board who were responsible for maintaining the dockyards and supply. This
revealed widespread corruption at the highest level and Lord Melville, formerly treasurer of
the Navy and previously First Lord was impeached. This made
Jervis extremely unpopular in political circles, especially those who had vested interest in
the Navy Board activities. In May 1804, the current government fell and Jervis was
obliged to retire from his post. However, when Prime Minister, Mr Pitt, a known
political enemy of Jervis, died, Jervis was once more asked to command the fleet and
became acting Admiral of the Fleet. He took up his post off Ushant
in 1806. During the winter, he requested special permission to stay on shore since
his health was once more failing. The government changed again in March 1807 and Jervis
requested to be relieved and this was granted on 24 April
1807."