Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Plans backed to remove ‘racist’ clock and statue
CIVIC leaders have backed plans to explore the removal of a “racist” 18th-century clock and figurine of a black slave boy from Blackboy House in Stroud.
Stroud District Council led a review of street or building names and monuments after residents raised concerns in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
More than 1,600 people responded to the review which has put forward proposals to consider renaming Blackboy House, remove the statue and offer it to the Museum in the Park collection and review the street name “Blackboys” in Dursley.
Councillors voted to back the suggestions from the review during a full council meeting on Thursday.
The recommendations could start a process leading to the removal of the Blackboy clock and statue from its current location.
But the process is not straightforward as the clock is in private ownership and listed building planning consent would be needed should they want to remove it.
Other recommendations include the council progressing plans to restore the Anti-Slavery Arch, Paganhill, a task force established to contextualise the statue and oversee the installation of an information plaque outside Blackboy House, and the development of a community project for the commemoration of an individual, group of individuals or event suggested in the survey responses.
The council’s street-naming protocol could be reviewed so that names will not be considered that may be construed as discriminatory or offensive under the Equality Act 2010; or “not in the spirit” of the act.
The recommendations also say the council’s culture strategy, which is currently in development, should empower communities and individuals to celebrate and share their history, heritage, culture and identity.
Cllr Natalie Bennett chaired the Review Panel and proposed the council should take on the recommendations. She said she was delighted and proud to present the report.
But some councillors questioned the need to remove the clock and statue and suggested it was akin to erasing history. They said keeping it in situ with a plaque may be more
appropriate. In the end, 25 councillors voted for the recommendations, while 12 abstained and two voted against.
Council leader Doina Cornell, who seconded the motion, said: “We have to recognise that statues or figurines are quite important but also very problematic for us all. It’s important we take a stand.
“This black boy figurine isn’t a specific individual but it serves as a monument to the commodification and later exotification of black bodies that emerged as a consequence of slavery.”
The day after the Edward Colston statue was toppled into Bristol Harbour on June 7, 2020, all four Stroud District Council political group leaders issued a joint statement reaffirming the council’s commitment to promoting equality and tackling discrimination, then actions were outlined including consulting on any street and building names, statues and architectural features that may be considered offensive.
Most Blackboy House residents supported the removal of the statue, though some wanted to keep the clock.
The review panel is consulting a family member of the trustees of the Blackboy Clock Trust, who are unable to comment.