Sir William George Armstrong - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

Sir William George Armstrong
"Hydraulic power systems were established as public utilities in such cities as Manchester, Antwerp and Hamburg, and in the 21st century many sophisticated mechanical engineering systems are hydraulically operated.

Armstrong was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the son of a corn merchant. He showed an early interest in machines but trained as a lawyer. After his interest was aroused by the operation of a waterwheel while on holiday in Yorkshire in 1835 he began experiments, and in 1845 demonstrated a hydraulic crane that he patented the following year. He formed a partnership, W G Armstrong & Co, which began production of hydraulic machines in a works at Elswick on the western side of Newcastle in 1847.Early products included hoists for the docks at Liverpool, underground engines for coal mines, and machinery for lead mines and dressing plants in Co Durham.

He invented the hydraulic accumulator in 1850-1. During the Crimean War he became involved with the manufacture of armaments, mines for the Royal Navy, and field guns for the army, and established a munitions plant alongside the hydraulic works at Elswick. In 1868 he began co-operation with a shipbuilder, Charles Mitchell of Walker-on-Tyne, which stimulated his involvement in the project for a new, hydraulically-operated swing bridge over the River Tyne, opened in 1876, replacing the ancient Tyne Bridge that had been an obstacle to shipping. His company merged with Mitchell`s in 1882 and established a warship construction yard at Elswick. He took a combative attitude when his workers went on strike in 1871, and subsequently relinquished most of the day-to-day administration of the company to managers, making his last appearance at Elswick during a visit by the King of Siam in 1892. His armaments company amalgamated with that of Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803-87) in 1897.

Armstrong was, in a private capacity, a pioneer in the application of electric power. In 1863 he began to develop an estate at Cragside in rural Northumberland, where between 1869 and 1885 the architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912) built an imposing mansion. It was lit by electricity from 1878. Some of the generating plant remains, as do the fittings in the house made by Francis Lea (1866-1940) of Shrewsbury. Armstrong`s first experimental hydraulic machine is displayed in the Museum of Science and Industry at Newcastle. " link

The monument
Bronze cast life-size statue of Lord Armstrong on an ashlar pedestal flanked by two screen walls with seats. Armstrong is depicted standing, holding a roll of drawings in his left hand, with a pensive look on his face. To his right is a table and at his feet is a recumbent Scotch terrier. Attached to the flanking screen walls are two bronze reliefs depicting aspects of Armstrong's manufacturing career: to the left is a scene of a hydraulic crane lowering a 12-inch gun onto a battleship at Elswick; and to the right is a scene of a ship being towed by two tugs through the Newcastle Swing Bridge.

The stone plinth of the monuments has the following inscription.

ARMSTRONG

1810 - 1900

Location of the Monument
"Newcastle Corporation chose the grounds of the Museum of the Natural History Society for the Monument because Armstrong had been particularly associated with the Society during his life-time, joining it in 1846 and eventually becoming its President from 1893 until his death. He was also a key benefactor of the Museum, donating a rare fossil collection in 1859 and contributing £8,000 towards the cost of a new purpose-built home in 1882. In addition, Armstrong entertained the Prince of Wales on behalf of the Museum in 1884 when the latter came to perform the official opening (the Museum became the 'Hancock Museum' in 1891)." link

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/06/2015 scotty299 visited it