A Statue Without Explanation In Islington
Every time I go between my house and the Angel, I pass this statue on Islington Green.
It is of Sir Hugh Myddelton, who was very much a hero to generations of North Londoners prior to the Second World War.
Wikipedia introduces him like this.
Sir Hugh Myddelton (or Middleton), 1st Baronet (1560 – 10 December 1631) was a Welsh clothmaker, entrepreneur, mine-owner, goldsmith, banker and self-taught engineer. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appears to be the earliest, and most consistently used in place names associated with him.
So why did my parents and others, born in the early years of the twentieth century, hold Myddelton in such high esteem?
Both my parents were born close to his most famous creation; the New River. Wikipedia explains his part in the project.
Myddelton is, however, best remembered as the driving force behind the construction of the New River, an ambitious engineering project to bring clean water from the River Lea, near Ware, in Hertfordshire to New River Head in Clerkenwell, London. After the initial project encountered financial difficulties, Myddelton helped fund the project through to completion, obtaining the assistance of King James I.
I do wonder, if the generation of my parents felt affectionately about the New River because in their first few decades, it was probably the source of most of the water they drunk and used for cooking and washing.
Wikipedia doesn’t give any clue to the character of Myddelton, but I’m sure that in today’s climate, some would find him not worthy of having a statue in such a prominent place.
I do feel though, that the statue needs a display to fill out the story of a man, who did so much for London over four hundred years ago and is still benefiting from his creation.
The Anonymous Widower 