Cargill's Monument, Memorial monument in central Dunedin, New Zealand.
Cargill's Monument is a 7.5-metre Gothic Revival monument of Tasmanian sandstone on a phonolite base, standing on John Wickliffe Plaza at Princes and Rattray Streets. Charles Robert Swyer designed it in 1863–64 with carved lacework and grotesques, and it was moved here from The Octagon in 1872.
The monument was built between 1863 and 1864 to honor Captain William Cargill, who served as Otago's first superintendent from 1853 to 1857. Its construction coincided with the city's growth and the establishment of European settlement in the region.
The monument's Gothic Revival carvings include grotesques and lace-like stonework, and architect Nathaniel Wales compared the design to England's Eleanor crosses. A plaque at its foot marks the spot of New Zealand's first Salvation Army meeting, held here in April 1883.
The monument stands on John Wickliffe Plaza at the corner of Princes Street and Rattray Street, in The Exchange, a short walk uphill from The Octagon where it first stood. It is an outdoor structure with no railings, so it can be seen at any hour; the carved grotesques and lacework are best picked out in daylight.
The monument's original design included drinking fountains, unused for many years. A plaque at its foot marks where New Zealand's first Salvation Army meeting was held in April 1883, on the site now called John Wickliffe Plaza.
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