Re. the statue. Largely down to one man it seems
it was resolved to raise funds for a statue of the great man. Although 1,500 circulars were distributed the response was poor. The first subscription list produced only £201. A second appeal raised the total to £407. By June the committee decided that 'citizens generally¿ should be invited to subscribe. `The promoters had no idea of turning back because they were not so enthusiastically supported as they might have been.¿ Even this did not raise the sum required but the competition went ahead. Models from 23 sculptors from Edinburgh, Manchester, Birkenhead, London and Bristol were received and the `commission was placed in the hands of Mr John Cassidy, of Manchester'. Funding-raising continued in 1895 when, encouraged by the success of the Industrial Exhibition of 1893, a Handicraft Exhibition was held in the Rifle Drill Hall. The result was poor. Although 96,510 visitors attended only £170 was raised for the Colston statue fund. By the unveiling the £800 required had still not been fully subscribed. An Anchor Society banquet raised £12 and the Dolphin Society contributed £1. 10s and the balance, 'about £150, was given by an anonymous citizen who had already subscribed liberally¿. This was almost certainly Arrowsmith, himself"