Buxton Memorial

The Buxton Memorial Fountain stands as a vibrant, intricate piece of neo-Gothic architecture designed by the politician Charles Buxton and the architect Samuel Sanders Teulon. It was unveiled in eighteen sixty-five, serving as a monument to the end of slavery within the British Empire. Its creation intentionally coincided with the passing of the thirteenth amendment in the United States, linking the cause of human freedom across the Atlantic. The structure is a masterclass in material variety, featuring polished Devonshire marble, pink and grey granite, and an eye-catching, multi-colored enamelled spire. Originally situated in Parliament Square, it acted as both a decorative landmark and a functional public drinking fountain. It was moved to its present location in Victoria Tower Gardens in nineteen fifty-seven after post-war urban planning rendered its original home in the square surplus to requirements. The memorial is dedicated to the parliamentarians who pushed for the eighteen thirty-three Slavery Abolition Act, including William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, and Charles's own father, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton. These men formed the core of the political movement that sought to transform moral outrage into legal reality. While the fountain no longer flows, its presence here in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster serves as a reminder of the legislative battles fought within those nearby walls to secure emancipation. For years, the structure was adorned with bronze statues representing eight English rulers, from the Roman era through to Queen Victoria. These figures became targets for theft, disappearing in the nineteen sixties and seventies. Though they were briefly replaced with fibreglass versions in the nineteen eighties, those also eventually vanished, leaving the pinnacles empty today. This cycle of loss and the subsequent restoration of the fountain in two thousand seven highlight the enduring, if turbulent, life of this memorial.