The statue was taken down in 2004 in preparation for the building of a new shopping mall. However the recession delayed the go ahead of the project and for many years the site was boarded up.
Building work finally went ahead and was completed in 2015, and this statue was erected outside one of the side entrances to the mall.
This
website
has details of a sculpture trail in Bradford and was created before the statue was moved. Section 21 has the following information about the statue.
"
WILLIAM EDWARD FORSTER (1818-1886)
Unveiled 17th May 1890 by the First Marquis of Ripon
Sculptor James Havard Thomas (1854-1921)
Again this statue has suffered from the city’s 1960s
developments. It was moved to its current location in 1967
and may be temporarily removed during the redevelopment
of Forster Square. The once impressive bronze figure of
William Edward Forster seems perhaps slightly
diminished in stature by his present position. This
undermines Forster as a pre-eminent Bradford worthy,
with Forster Square literally named after him. Forster
represented Bradford as a Liberal MP for 25 years from
1861 until his death. In the light of current politics, this was
no mean achievement.
He arrived in Bradford in 1841 and became a partner with
William Fison in a woollen manufacturing business. The
partners transferred the business to Burley-in-Wharfedale in
1850. However, it is Forster’s commitment to people for
which he is chiefly remembered. He was committed to
change so that the poor man was no longer prevented from
rising by the power of those who held capital. He was largely
responsible for the 1870 Elementary Education Act, which
was the first National Education Act in this country
The sculptor, James Havard
Thomas, was present at the
unveiling. Despite training as
a sculptor in London and Paris
and living in Italy, he developed
strong ties with Bradford and
wealthy merchant patrons such
as the fine art connoisseur,
John Maddox.
Thomas
lived in Italy
from 1889 to
1906, so the Forster
commission was largely conceived and executed in
Europe. The statue is 9 feet tall and is cast from over 2
tons of bronze. The total cost of the commission was
£30,000, an enormous amount in the 19th century. Thomas
depicts Forster as an orator, standing to give an address or
speaking in the House of Commons, or possibly even
making a declaration to the people of Bradford."
The statue has the following inscription.
ERECTED
IN MEMORY OF
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
W E FORSTER
FOR 25 YEARS REPRESENTED THE BOROUGH OF BRADFORD
IN PARLIAMENT.
AND SERVED HIS COUNTRY IN THE OFFICES OF
UNDER SECRETARY FOR THE COLONIES
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL FOR EDUCATION
AND
UNDER SECRETARY FOR IRELAND
BORN JULY 11 1818. DIED APRIL 6TH 1886
Although the statue is popular with residents of Bradford it's new position caused controversy. The statue has been erected with him facing the shopping mall's entrance, but many locals believe he should be facing the other way round, looking at a more historical area of Bradford.
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The following is information about the man himself.
"William Edward Forster, the only son of William Forster, a Minister of the Society of Friends, was born in Bradpole, Dorset, in 1819. Forster was a passionate social reformer and was an active member of the Anti-Slavery Society.
After receiving a Quaker education in Bristol and London, Forster trained as a lawyer. Forster took a keen interest in politics and was friendly with several well-known radicals, including Robert Owen, Thomas Cooper and F.D. Maurice. In 1835 Forster changed careers and entered the wool trade. Six years later Forster became a partner in the woollen business in Bradford.
Forster left the Society of Friends when he married Jane Arnold, the eldest daughter of Thomas Arnold, in 1850. An active member of the Liberal Party, Forster was elected MP for Bradford in 1861. Four years after entering Parliament, Forster became Under Secretary for the Colonies under Earl Russell.
Following the 1868 General Election, William Gladstone appointed Forster as Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education. Forster therefore had responsibility for carrying through the House of Commons the 1870 Education Act. When Forster introduced the bill on 17th February 1870, he pointed out he was not doing away with existing schools, but helping to add schools in those areas where they were in short supply. In Forster's words: 'to fill up its gaps at least cost of public money'.
s a result of Forster's Education Act, School Boards were given the power to examine the provision of elementary education in their district, provided then by Voluntary Societies, and if there were not enough school places, they could build and maintain schools out of the rates. The main opposition for these measures came from members of Forster's own Liberal Party, who argued that education should be compulsory, secular and free.
In 1880 Forster became chief secretary for Ireland. He was constantly criticised by Irish MPs in the House of Commons and his life was threatened when he introduced measures to deal with Irish rebels. When the majority of Gladstone's cabinet decided in April 1882 that the Irish leaders should be released from prison, Forster resigned from office. William Forster remained a strong opponent of Irish Home Rule until his death in 1886."
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