Statue of William Huskisson

This marble statue depicts the British statesman William Huskisson, a man whose political career as an influential financier and Member of Parliament for Liverpool was ultimately overshadowed by his death. On September 15, 1830, Huskisson attended the grand opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world’s first inter-city rail line. During a stop at Parkside, he stepped onto the tracks to greet the Duke of Wellington, but panicked as an approaching locomotive neared. He attempted to climb back into a carriage, but the door swung open and caused him to fall directly into the path of George Stephenson's Rocket, resulting in fatal injuries. The statue was carved by the celebrated Victorian sculptor John Gibson, who famously insisted on depicting Huskisson in classical Roman robes rather than contemporary nineteenth-century dress. His widow, Emily, originally commissioned the work for the Liverpool Customs House, but it spent decades in the offices of Lloyds of London before being gifted to the city in 1915. It now stands in these gardens, where the marble figure appears to look downward in a permanent state of quiet, contemplative thought, far removed from the mechanical chaos that ended his life.