A REVIEW will take place to investigate the continued appropriateness of the statue of Exeter’s famous statue of General Buller.

The statue of General Sir Redvers Buller and his horse Biffen stands on the corner of New North Road and Hele Road outside the entrance to Exeter College and was erected in 1905 with General Buller present at the unveiling.

But following the removal of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, calls had been made to review the appropriateness of other monuments.

Exeter City Council’s executive recently agreed that the Scrutiny Programme Board should look into the continued appropriateness of the statue and whether its prominence is still appropriate to the people of Exeter today.

And a temporary board is being prepared to be placed next to statue that will explain the history of Buller, about the Black Lives Matter movement, the decision made by the council, and how people can make their views known to the scrutiny committee.

Cllr Phil Bialyk, Labour leader of the council, said that he had received a lot of letters, both for and against keeping the statue, and some “more blunt than others”, since he announced he wanted the city to review the future of the statue.

He said: “I want to make it perfectly clear, we are not putting Buller or trial to trying to rewrite history or wipe it way. We need to come to terms with our past. We have not made any decisions to pull it down or break it up or do anything.”

He said that all of the correspondence received so far would feed into the review, and that a specific email address – [email protected] – has been created for people to make their views known.

Director Jon-Paul Hedge, in explaining the context of the review, said that the Black Lives Matter movement calls for a level playing field for everyone in society – free from prejudice and inequality – regardless of skin colour, and that in the UK and in Exeter, there has been significant focus around the relevance of prominent statues on public land that personify racism and the glorification of a colonial past.

He added: “Exeter has six statues of prominent white men who played a part in the city’s history. The Buller statue is the most conspicuous by way of location and controversy.

“The statue was originally funded by the people of Exeter and the purpose of the recommendation is to ascertain if its prominence is still appropriate to the people of Exeter today.

“There are a huge amount of differing views as to what should now happen to this statue and the report asks the scrutiny programme board to be the central point for correspondence and opinion already submitted and to provide an open and transparent, accessible and representative consultation into the matter as part of their assessment.”

Cllr Bialyk added: “I would like this to be done as soon as possible, but it needs the appropriate time. I don’t think we should take too long as we need to show positive action, but need to make sure we get everyone’s views.”

Cllr Duncan Wood asked for there to be a “fact-checking” process as some of the correspondence he had received about the statue didn’t tie up with history, while Cllr Emma Morse said that she wanted to make sure the entire community of Exeter is consulted and that the council doesn’t just go to the same groups we have in the past.

NO OBJECTION TO THE HORSE

Cllr Laura Wright added: “There is a risk we will just look at the statue and nothing else, so we need to also look at what is happening on a day-to-day basis in Exeter,” before adding that she had “no objection to the horse”.

Following the review, the consultation responses will be considered by the council’s scrutiny committee, who will then make a recommendation to the executive ahead of any final decision over the future of the statue.

As the statue was given Grade II listing preservation status in 1953, any complete or partial removal or relocation would require formal planning permission, along with permission from Historic England, before it could be removed.

The statue was paid for by money raised by the people of Devon and unveiled on “Buller Day” in 1905.

It is currently situated on land owned by Devon County Council, with the monument itself maintained by the city council.

General Sir Redvers Buller is regarded as Crediton’s second most celebrated son of modern times.

His distinguished military career included campaigns in the Sudan and the Boer War.

He was held in very high regard by his troops who nicknamed him the “People’s General”.

He was also held in high regard by the people of the Crediton and Exeter. He is remembered by the memorial in Crediton Parish Church and by the statue of himself on horseback in Exeter.

General Buller was General Officer Commander at the British Army headquarters at Aldershot from October 1898 to October 1899 and January to October 1901.

In addition to his Crediton home at Downes (where he was born in 1839), he also lived in an Army-supplied home at Aldershot while serving there.

He was the recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1879 following the Zulu Wars. He received the VC for his bravery after saving four of his men despite heavy losses.

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration for gallantry and valour in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Commonwealth servicemen.

Following the Boar war, he returned to Crediton amid great revelry.

He was given the Freedom of Exeter by Exeter City Council and the County of Devon gave him a bejewelled sword, which hangs in Exeter Guildhall.

He died at Downes House, as Lord of the Manor on June 2, 1908, aged 69.

He is buried in the Buller Family Memorial in the north east corner of the churchyard at Crediton Parish Church.

General Buller was the second son of James Wentworth Buller, MP for Exeter.

The public is invited to have a say on the future of the statue at: [email protected] .

Daniel Clark (Local Democracy Reporting Service) and Alan Quick

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