Samuel Sadler was an industrialist and MP for Middlesbrough whose statue was created by Édouard Lantéri and unveiled in 1913. It was commissioned using a hugely-successful subscription fund which topped off at 50,000 shillings (about £150,000 in today’s money), meaning that Lantéri could afford to add a crescent of marble surrounding the base.
The work was unveiled in front of a large crowd in Victoria Square on June 21st (the Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough helpfully reminded locals that “high silk hats are not necessary, and that guests of the Tees Commissioners can attend in ordinary dress”1). Colonel J.E.B. Seely, Secretary of State for War, was called upon to do the honours, with following speeches by the Mayor of Middlesbrough and Sadler’s son Stanley amongst others.
Eventually the statue was unveiled, although not without incident; the sheet covering the work got stuck. A ladder was fetched and sculptor Lantéri prepared to go up and release it. However, Colonel Seely, “would not hear of anyone completing the task but himself. Springing nimbly up the ladder he advanced to the very top, and a loud cheer went up as he was seen in the full view of everyone, more than 20 feet above the ground.”2
A Hidden Treasure
A century later in 2013, the statue was moved across the square to its current home in front of the library. This proved controversial, at least for one local citizen. “Amateur legal buff” Peter Judge put on his best Gazette face when launching a legal case against the council for moving the statue and breaching the Planning Act 1990. It appears to have come to nothing.
The base of the statue, photographed in 2024.
In the process of moving Sadler’s memorial, a time capsule was found in its base. This contained a coin from 1899, a stonemason’s business card, and a handwritten message. We’d love to know what it said, and are working on finding images of these items. If anyone can help, please let us know.
North East Statues 