Decision looms on plan to move Buller’s statue

COUNCILLORS in Exeter are set to be asked to back plans that could see the famous General Buller statue relocated.

The statue of General Sir Redvers Buller and his horse, Biffen, stands on the corner of New North Road and Hele Road outside the entrance to Exeter College, and was erected in 1905. Last year, calls were made to review the appropriateness of the monument, not only because of the man it portrays, but because of the names carved on the plinth of colonial campaigns which sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries.

The July 2020 meeting of Exeter City Council’s Executive resolved to investigate the continued appropriateness of the statue of General Buller and his horse in its current location, and to act accordingly on its findings. Next Tuesday, they are asked to act on the findings.

The report to the meeting asks them to note the findings of the Scrutiny Task and Finish Group and asks the Portfolio Holder for Culture and Communities to establish a working group to develop an AntiRacism Strategy for the Council, and asks for a new public art strategy for the city to be created.

The executive is asked to rule that, without prejudice to a final decision on the matter, an application be made for listing building consent for the relocation of the statue to an alternative location.

Council director Jon-Paul Hedge, in his report, says: “The statue of General Buller was erected in 1905 during his lifetime, and paid for by public subscription. He was something of a controversial figure at the time but was apparently popular with many in Exeter.

“The statue has today become a cause of some public debate not only because of the man it portrays, but because of the names carved on the plinth of colonial campaigns which sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries,” Mr Hedge added.

“This decision was made within the context of the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism and followed campaigns within a number of towns and cities across the UK to reconsider the present appropriateness of statues, especially those of prominent people involved in the transatlantic slave trade or advancing British imperialism and colonialism.”

The Scrutiny Task and Finish Group met on four occasions and took written and oral submissions from a range of stakeholders, including local historians and history groups, local Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Community Groups and a historian who has worked with Bristol City Council on their review into the siting of the statue of Edward Colston.

Following a discussion on the findings, the group members submitted their own position statements on the matter, which were also discussed, with three members voting to relocate the statue and two voting for it to remain in place.

The report says that discussions included concerns that the current location is inappropriate because it is outside an educational establishment which includes people from diverse backgrounds, but says the statue’s future location should not be somewhere hidden from the public but be in a place, and linked to an organisation, that is in a better position to work on interpretation