News / Edward Colston
New plaque added to empty Colston plinth
A new plaque affixed to the empty Colston plinth has the date ‘2024’. It’s just a small indication that this is the latest in a long and tortuous process to get to this point.
The new bronze plaque installed by Bristol City Council is the second attempt at a plaque.
The aborted first effort was constructed but never added to the plinth while the statue was still standing and is now on the wall within the exhibition at the M Shed opposite the prostrate slave trader.
is needed now More than ever
While the original plaque on the statue unveiled in 1895, 174 years after his death, calls Colston “one of the most virtuous and wise sons of the city”, the new plaque mentions his “prominent role in the enslavement of African people”.
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The inscription on the new plaque reads: “On 13 November 1895, a statue of Edward Colston (1636-1721) was unveiled here.
“In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, the celebration of Colston was increasingly challenged given his prominent role in the enslavement of African people.
“On 7 June 2020, the statue was pulled down during the Black Lives Matter protests and rolled into the Floating Harbour. Following consultation with the city in 2021, the statue entered the collections of Bristol City Council’s museums.”
The plaque is on the plinth that received listed building consent from Bristol City Council’s planning committee in 2024 – photo: Martin Booth
Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer said: “I am pleased to see this plaque finally installed on the Colston plinth following a considered conversation on its future by residents and organisations.
“It presents a moment of reflection for our city and for many communities across Bristol and offers residents and visitors the opportunity to learn more about our city’s complex past.”
The statue of Edward Colston was pulled down in 2020, with four people later found not guilty of criminal damage after a trial at Bristol Crown Court – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo & video: Martin Booth
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