Like the similar Victorian statue of Duke of Wellington on Woodhouse Moor in Leeds this statue has I think suffered at the hands of students. Although a traffic cone is easily removed also the road sign resting on the plinth.
This statue is of Sir Peter Fairbairn who was mayor of Leeds at the time Queen Victoria opened Leeds Town Hall and at the ceremony the Queen knighted him.
The statue in bronze by Yorkshire sculptor Matthew Noble was erected in 1868 in the prosperous Woodhouse Square not far from the Leeds General Infirmary.
The son of Sir Peter Fairbairn also became mayor of Leeds and an MP for Otley as well as being chairman of the Leeds School Board.
Leedsdailyphoto.com 