Location
From the Historic Dockyard Victory Gate take the first road on the right - College Road - and walk past the Porter's Lodge. The Porter's Garden on the right with the statue of William IV at the far end.
The Porter's Garden
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GVLIELMO III Optimo Regi CICDCCXVIII Ricardus Norton Humillime DD |
Further Information
The statue was presented to the Dockyard by William in gratitude for the Navy's tacit support for his cause. When he came with Ann to dethrone James it was expected that the Navy would act to stop them, however, they took no action and therefore William's army landed unopposed and he took the throne.
Richard Norton was a Colonel, possibly in charge of the Dockyard or the Portsmouth Garrison. Norton was the grandson of a Member of Parliament who signed the death warrant of Charles I.
The statue of King William at one time stood at the other end of the garden close to the lodge itself.
The statue was restored late in 1967 when it was encased in a steel cage, lifted by a dockyard crane onto a low-loader, and taken at 15 mph to the Paddington works of Messrs Stoner and Saunders. In London, William was sawn across the waistline, and most of
his stuffing, composed of plaster of paris and brick dust, was removed. A corroded pair of iron bars, one in either leg, which had
held him to his stone base, were extracted and a complete new bronze armature from neck to feet was inserted. The shell was refilled and soldered together. Broken-off pieces, including parts of his Imperator's armour and the baton he held, were renewed.
The statue was set up again on its base of stone, and was double gilt with heavy gold leaf. In Portsmouth, Marchetti and Sons Ltd., made an excellent job of the damaged classical pedestal.
In March 1968, William made his second long journey along the Portsmouth Road, from London. He had journeyed by wagon drawn by at least four horses, 250 years before, from the workshops of John van Nost the Elder. Shortly after the King's shining reinstatement, the gilder touched up his work, and removed small pieces of a Coca-Cola bottle embedded in the statue, which had been hurled by an unknown Republican.
The Porter's Garden was first created over 250 years ago. There is a map of it in 1754. Since 2000 the Friends of the Garden have been re-creating it using many traditional methods and plants. It was opened on 21st June 2001 by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Elaine Baker. For further information about the Porter's Garden see the Hantsweb site.
