The Lord, the artist and the god of love

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In North Dorset stands the village of Wimborne St Giles. Thatched cottages, a 16thC

Almshouses and church of Wimborne St Giles

almshouse and a splendid church surround a pretty green.
It's hard to connect this peaceful scene with roar and bustle of London’s Piccadilly Circus. Both places, though, are forever linked to one of Victorian Britain's great philanthropists, Anthony Ashley, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. The surrounding lands are the ancient seat of the Shaftesburys, and Wimborne St Giles their estate village, which explains the church's unusual opulence and worth a visit in its own right.

7th Earl of Shaftesbury

The death of the Earl, in 1893, ended an illustrious parliamentary career devoted to fighting the terrible abuses of child labour. While his burial took place in Wimborne St Giles, it was decided to erect a separate monument in Piccadilly, London.

So far, so good, but few predicted the controversy such a relatively simple plan would cause.

The sculptor chosen was Sir Albert Gilbert. The brief, to avoid a conventional commemorative statue. Gilbert, though, became dogged by persistent interference from the steering committee who ended up wanting, the very thing they'd briefed him against, a statue. 

Albert Gilbert

After another change of heart the committee finally demanded the memorial take the form of a fountain. To make matters worse, the London District Council would only supply water to the fountain if it had a useful  function. The resulting compromise transformed  Gilbert's work of art not only into an ornamental fountain but one boasting a two level drinking fountain; serving not just the public, but animals as well. Further interference made the bowl of the fountain too small, with the effect of that the water jets drenched passers-by.

Gilbert's finale was to top the fountain with a winged statue representing the god of selfless love, a naked Anteros delicately balanced on one foot and loosing an arrow. This was was immediately criticised as un-Christian and sensual which meant that the artist was forced to rebrand it as being symbolic of Christian charity.

When at last the completed edifice was unveiled in Piccadilly Circus, the artist was no longer on speaking terms with the committee refusing to attend the opening ceremony.

Contemporary opinions ranged from ecstatic, ‘the finest monument the metropolis possesses,'... to condemnation, ' indecent or downright dingy’- there were even calls for the completed monument to be melted down.

Sir Albert Gilbert’s troubles didn’t end there, the innumerable changes had doubled the costs leaving him facing financial ruin and forcing him to flee the country to escape his creditors. When he finally returned Sir George found that his reviled creation had, for some inexplicable reason, found a place in the hearts of the nation, where it remains to this day.

Nowadays, the monument's fame far overshadows the man it commemorated, while the controversy surrounding its inception is long forgotten.

In an ironic twist, Anteros, who sits atop the monument has become confused with his brother Eros, god of carnal love...far removed from the high church sentiments of Lord Salisbury....And as for the Wimborne St Giles, Lord Shaftesbury’s last resting place? ...Well,  it’s probably an old wives’ tale, but Eros is supposedly aiming his arrow straight towards the village green.