 The statue of Stuart surrounded by trees, 2021 | |
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| 45°52′39.5″S 170°30′11.5″E / 45.877639°S 170.503194°E | |
| Location | Queens Gardens, Dunedin, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Designer | William Leslie Morison |
| Material | |
| Opening date | 22 June 1898 |
| Designated | 11 November 1987 |
| Reference no. | 4758 |
The Stuart Memorial is a statue of clergyman Donald McNaughton Stuart located in central Dunedin, New Zealand. It sits adjacent to Queens Gardens, close to a statue of Queen Victoria. The memorial is a bronze statue of Stuart seated in a solemn pose, atop a large concrete, granite, and andesite plinth. Stuart was a locally renowned minister, educationalist, and community leader, and shortly after his death in 1894, a memorial committee was established. After several months of community fundraising, the committee contracted Wellington-based artist William Leslie Morison to model the statue, the first major civic commission given to a New Zealand artist. With a plaster model by Morison used as the base, the statue was cast at the Moore foundry near London.
Unveiled in June 1898, the memorial was soon subject to various proposals for relocation, either to the Early Settlers' Hall or Knox Church, due to obstruction by surrounding lamp posts and proposals for other statues at the location. It was ultimately placed atop a taller plinth in 1922, following a temporary removal during the installation of electric tram lines. A proposal circulated in the late 2010s to move the statue to the grounds of the University of Otago, where Stuart served as chancellor. The statue remains at its Queens Gardens location, and underwent cleaning and restoration work in 2020.
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