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Shelley Memorial

Shelley Memorial is a memorial dedicated to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It is located at University College, part of the University of Oxford in England. Shelley briefly attended the college before being expelled after writing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism. Despite that history, he remains one of the college’s most famous former students, and the institution continues to honor his connection. In 2005, University College further strengthened that link by purchasing some letters written by Shelley at auction.

Shelley Memorial with a white marble reclining male figure on a sarcophagus, supported by a seated bronze figure.
The Shelley Memorial shows a reclining marble figure supported by a grieving bronze figure beneath a painted domed ceiling.
June 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shelley Memorial with a reclining white marble figure on a dark ornate base and seated draped mourner below.
The Shelley Memorial in Oxford, showing the reclining marble figure above a dark sculpted base and mourning figure below.
June 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shelley Memorial with a reclining marble figure above a seated figure in a decorated interior
The Shelley Memorial features a reclining marble figure above a seated figure, set against dark walls and a domed ceiling.
June 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shelley Memorial with a grey ribbed dome above a crenellated stone wall and plaque in Oxford.
The Shelley Memorial in Oxford, showing its domed top, stone wall, and mounted plaque.
June 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Shelley Memorial’s dark ribbed dome tops a stone wall between ornate university buildings, with a small plaque below.
The Shelley Memorial at University College, Oxford, seen as a dark dome set into the stone wall between surrounding buildings.
June 2011 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleShelley Memorial
Dedicated toPercy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), English poet
Typememorial sculpture

Creator

SculptorEdward Onslow Ford

Historical context

Art movementNew Sculpture
Connection to locationShelley briefly attended University College and was expelled in 1811 for writing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism
Institutional status of ShelleyDespite his expulsion, Shelley is regarded as one of the college's most famous former students

Location and ownership

Current locationUniversity College, Oxford, England
Associated institutionUniversity College, Oxford
Site historyLocated on the site where Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke carried out experiments in Oxford; the site was previously Cross Hall until the early 19th century
PlaqueAn exterior plaque records the site's history and historical connection

Discovery and provenance

Reason original plan failedTrelawny's heirs considered Ford's statue too large and did not agree to place it in the cemetery
Unveiling attendeesLady Shelley, Edward Onslow Ford, Basil Champneys, and Benjamin Jowett, among others
Unveiled14 June 1893
Donated to current location byLady Shelley
Edward John Trelawny's connectionA friend of Shelley who bought a plot near him in the Roman cemetery in 1822
Original intended locationThe Protestant Cemetery in Rome
Commissioned byLady Jane Shelley, Shelley's daughter-in-law
Reason for commissionTo honor Shelley's memory and fulfill Edward John Trelawny's wish for a monument beside his own grave

Physical characteristics

SupportSet on a decorative pedestal or plinth
Purpose of barrierTo protect the memorial from vandals and students
Protective barrierOrnamental railings
HousingA small late Victorian domed room designed by Basil Champneys
Figure depictedPercy Bysshe Shelley as a reclining nude corpse, washed ashore on the beach at Viareggio, Italy
MaterialWhite marble

Iconography and meaning

Other people in the depicted eventEdward Ellerker Williams and the sailor Charles Vivian were aboard the Ariel with Shelley
Depicted eventShelley is shown after being brought ashore following the wreck of the schooner Ariel

History and restoration

Original decorationA gilt-bronze laurel wreath was originally on Shelley's brow
AlterationThe laurel wreath was removed during the 1930s because of student pranks
Vandalism and pranksThe memorial has been the target of numerous acts of vandalism and pranks; one example is that E. J. Bowen, a chemistry don, had to clean graffiti or paint from the statue
Flood incidentThe room housing the memorial was once flooded and filled with goldfish
Critical receptionThe monument has been criticized over the years, sometimes for the excessive femininity of the subject and sometimes for its harshness or crudity

Significance

Cultural appearancesFeatured in the 1997 film The Saint and in the Lewis episode And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea, where the memorial's pose is echoed by the body of a murdered student