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Statue of slave owner Thomas Picton in Cardiff boxed off

'It's just not appropriate to celebrate him'

A statue of a 19th Century slave owner has been covered over after councillors voted for it to be removed from a gallery of Welsh heroes.

Carpenters placed a wooden box over the marble statue of Sir Thomas Picton at Cardiff City Hall on Friday.

Councillors had voted to remove the memorial in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Permission to remove the effigy is being sought from the Welsh Government as the building is Grade I-listed.

Painting of Sir Thomas Picton
Sir Thomas Picton defended his right to obtain confessions by torture while governor of Trinidad

Hailed as a hero of the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars, Pembrokeshire-born Picton was commemorated with the statue in 1916.

But he has been cited by anti-racism campaigners for his cruelty while serving as governor of the then British colony of Trinidad in the early 19th Century.

Lord Mayor of Cardiff Dan De'Ath had called for the statue's removal in June after protesters toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Sir Thomas Picton statue
The statue of Sir Thomas Picton was installed in 1916, just over a century after his death at Waterloo
Alex Seabrook Workman boxing off Sir Thomas Picton statue at Cardiff City HallAlex Seabrook
The statue will remain covered up until permission has been granted to remove it

Councillor De'Ath, who described Picton as a "monster", said he was "very pleased with the way we've chosen to do it, democratically".

"It's hugely symbolic that it's coming down," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It's part of our history. We're not destroying history - we're making history.

"It's far more appropriate for Sir Thomas to be in one of our excellent museums rather than here, right at the heart of democracy in the capital."

Alex Seabrook Sir Thomas Picton statue at Cardiff City Hall covered by a boxAlex Seabrook
The statue has been covered with a box pending its removal from Cardiff City Hall

Adrian Robson, leader of the Tory opposition group on Cardiff council, had proposed placing a plaque next to it explaining Picton's role as a slave owner.

"It's essential that future generations can learn about the good and the bad of this man's actions," he said.

Cardiff council will now apply to the Welsh Government for permission to alter the building, which could take more than 20 weeks.