Sentinels in Stone
A series of free lunchtime talks at the Guildhall, entitled Sentinels in Stone, focuses on the statues at the Roman Baths and why they are there.
The famous Great Bath at Bath & North East Somerset Council’s leading tourist attraction emerged gleaming earlier this year after months of cleaning and stabilizing work to the stonework and statues that surround it.
The famous statues represent Roman emperors and generals including Claudius, Constantine, Hadrian and Suetonius Paulinus who defeated Queen Boudicca. All but one were carved by the sculptor G. A. Lawson and erected by the architect John McKean Brydon ready for the grand opening of the Roman Baths to the public in 1897.
However the statue of Julius Caesar is only 18 years old, and is the subject of the first talk at the Guildhall on Wednesday 22 October by Laurence Tindall, the stonemason who carved it. The original statue of Caesar was vandalised in the late 1980s and a new one was commissioned.
However the statue of Julius Caesar is only 18 years old, and is the subject of the first talk at the Guildhall on Wednesday 22 October by Laurence Tindall, the stonemason who carved it. The original statue of Caesar was vandalised in the late 1980s and a new one was commissioned.
Laurence has worked in the Roman Baths over a long period of time. King Bladud in the Kings Baths was his first conservation project in 1982, followed by the Victorian statues around the Great Bath, and the commission for the new statue of Julius Caesar.
Laurence comments: “My training in stone masonry is invaluable to me. It gave me the skills base to work out of and a love of old buildings. I value it as much as any other experience I have ever had.
“Conservation put me intimately in touch with some wonderful art works. Working with great art increased my skills and understanding of sculpture and communication through art. Fortunately in Britain we value our heritage and will pay”.
Other talks in the series follow on consecutive Wednesdays. On 29 October Stephen Bird, Head of Heritage Services at Bath & North East Somerset Council, will give a talk on three Governors of Roman Britain, Ostorius Scapula, Suetonius Paulinus and Julius Agricola. On 5 November Stephen Clews, Manager at the Roman Baths will talk on the Emperors Claudius and Vespasian, and on 12 November, Hadrian and Constantine.
All talks begin at 1.10pm and finish at 1.45pm at the Guildhall, Bath. Tea and coffee will be for sale from 12.45pm. Visit www.romanbaths.co.uk/talks for more details.
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