About Me (Site under construction, what a carry on!)
Hello and welcome to my website.........it's good! !
My name is Humphry Davy Statue, you might know me from Market Jew Street, Penzance, Cornwall.
If not don't worry as here on my home page i'll tell you a little bit about myself, maybe we could get to know each other, chillax, jump into a hot bath and give each other a foot rub and anyway i'll also leave my social networking links down the bottom of the page so if you wish you can then add me as a friend and keep up with my twittering etc ................................................
My name is Humphry Davy Statue, you might know me from Market Jew Street, Penzance, Cornwall.
If not don't worry as here on my home page i'll tell you a little bit about myself, maybe we could get to know each other, chillax, jump into a hot bath and give each other a foot rub and anyway i'll also leave my social networking links down the bottom of the page so if you wish you can then add me as a friend and keep up with my twittering etc ................................................
Humphry Davy Statue; Penzance's finest Erection, since 1872
Firstly here's a rudimentary background to the big man himself Sir Humphry Davy, this site isn't meant to be a history lesson but since I'm a statue of the fella, it'd be insulting for me to put this site up without paying my respects... so here's a brief blurb.....
'The most famous son of Penzance' was one of the leading scientists of the 19th century. Davy was born in Penzance in 1778, the son of a woodcarver. At the age of 16 he was apprenticed to a local doctor and became interested in chemistry. In 1798 he left to work in a medical laboratory in Bristol. There he discovered the pain releaving effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and after much messing about with it he finally suggested its anaesthetic use.
By the age of 24, Davy was a professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. He founded the science of electro chemistry and discovered 6 new elements including potassium and sodium. He became famous and was honoured throughout Europe. Davy is remembered now for his work on the miner's safety lamp which bears his name, some schools of thought suggest that perhaps his greatest contribution to science was the encouragement he gave to the young Michael Faraday, but I say he was a right clever bastard. Davy kept in touch with his roots and supported the Royal Geological Society in Penzance and left money to his old school. He died in 1829.
ENTER THE STATUE, HUMPHRY DAVY STATUE!
I AM a fine marble statue of the great philosopher, chemist, and author. I was erected in 1872, at a cost of above £600 ( I wasnt cheap), in front of the Old Town hall (Market House, now owned by Lloyds TSB - not far from the site of Sir Humphry Davys birthplace) at the top of Market Jew Street, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom
My sculptors being Messrs. Wills, of Euston road, London: I proudly stand 8 feet 8 inches high from my pedestal, I was designed after Sir Thomas Lawrence’s portrait, painted for the Royal Society, and now at Burlington House, and I represent Sir Humphry in the well-known costume of the portrait, with my right hand resting on a safety-lamp: my pedestal, about 10 feet high, is formed of the finest blue Lamorna granite. On my plinth a plaque reads as follows: This statue was erected in 1872 and was produced by the sculptors Wills of London and is of white marble.
About 3 years ago Penwith district council decided to press ahead with their i'll fated water feature idea situated right beside me, despite much local disapproval. The feature is set on the site of the steps down to the old underground public toilets which have been closed since the 1970's, needless to say the feature is permanently off now (as was predicted) but I suppose someone at the council needed a folly to spend poll tax revenue and work time on (how else could they keep a straight face when justifying their job). Yes in my nearly 140 years I have seen much farce but also much competence too and plenty of change, why I remmember when 'The Star' Inn across the road, had a porch. Splendid stuff. Anyway thats me historically speaking plus a rant going off in a 'broken Britain' tangent, if you wish to know more about my day to day stuff please check this website regularly, there will be a blog at some point and i'll be on twitter, also i'll be on all the main social networks so you can read up on my favourite book, films and hobby type BS on there. Nice little video of mine below, check it out....
.
'The most famous son of Penzance' was one of the leading scientists of the 19th century. Davy was born in Penzance in 1778, the son of a woodcarver. At the age of 16 he was apprenticed to a local doctor and became interested in chemistry. In 1798 he left to work in a medical laboratory in Bristol. There he discovered the pain releaving effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and after much messing about with it he finally suggested its anaesthetic use.
By the age of 24, Davy was a professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. He founded the science of electro chemistry and discovered 6 new elements including potassium and sodium. He became famous and was honoured throughout Europe. Davy is remembered now for his work on the miner's safety lamp which bears his name, some schools of thought suggest that perhaps his greatest contribution to science was the encouragement he gave to the young Michael Faraday, but I say he was a right clever bastard. Davy kept in touch with his roots and supported the Royal Geological Society in Penzance and left money to his old school. He died in 1829.
ENTER THE STATUE, HUMPHRY DAVY STATUE!
I AM a fine marble statue of the great philosopher, chemist, and author. I was erected in 1872, at a cost of above £600 ( I wasnt cheap), in front of the Old Town hall (Market House, now owned by Lloyds TSB - not far from the site of Sir Humphry Davys birthplace) at the top of Market Jew Street, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom
My sculptors being Messrs. Wills, of Euston road, London: I proudly stand 8 feet 8 inches high from my pedestal, I was designed after Sir Thomas Lawrence’s portrait, painted for the Royal Society, and now at Burlington House, and I represent Sir Humphry in the well-known costume of the portrait, with my right hand resting on a safety-lamp: my pedestal, about 10 feet high, is formed of the finest blue Lamorna granite. On my plinth a plaque reads as follows: This statue was erected in 1872 and was produced by the sculptors Wills of London and is of white marble.
About 3 years ago Penwith district council decided to press ahead with their i'll fated water feature idea situated right beside me, despite much local disapproval. The feature is set on the site of the steps down to the old underground public toilets which have been closed since the 1970's, needless to say the feature is permanently off now (as was predicted) but I suppose someone at the council needed a folly to spend poll tax revenue and work time on (how else could they keep a straight face when justifying their job). Yes in my nearly 140 years I have seen much farce but also much competence too and plenty of change, why I remmember when 'The Star' Inn across the road, had a porch. Splendid stuff. Anyway thats me historically speaking plus a rant going off in a 'broken Britain' tangent, if you wish to know more about my day to day stuff please check this website regularly, there will be a blog at some point and i'll be on twitter, also i'll be on all the main social networks so you can read up on my favourite book, films and hobby type BS on there. Nice little video of mine below, check it out....
.
