Statue of John Howard, Grade I listed bronze statue in St Paul's Square, Bedford, England
The Statue of John Howard is a bronze monument in St Paul's Square in Bedford showing the figure in traveling clothes from the 1700s standing on an ornate Art Nouveau base. The monument features decorative masks at each corner and small cherub faces within the base structure, creating a visually complex design.
The monument was commissioned in 1889 by the Howard Memorial Committee and created by artist Alfred Gilbert to mark a century after the death of the person it honors. This person died in 1790 in Kherson and left behind a movement that advanced prison reform across Britain.
The statue shows a figure in a thoughtful pose that reflects the serious nature of prison reform work. The location in the town center keeps this person's contributions present in everyday life for residents and visitors.
The monument sits in a public square in the town center and is easy to reach on foot. The best time for photographs is during daylight when the bronze details are clearly visible.
The base of the monument contains steps from an earlier fountain that stood in the same spot until 1880. This hidden history connects different phases of the town's development together.
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