Peers War Memorial: Artist's Model

From the collections of the Parliamentary Archives, this is the original artist model made in the 1920s by the sculptor, John Tweed (1869-1933) for the Peers War Memorial. The originally site for the memorial was Princes Chamber before a decision was made to move it to the Royal Gallery where it was unveiled by Edward, Prince of Wales in 1932. It now resides in Black Rods Garden.But who was the man behind the memorial? Tweed was born in Glasgow, he left his native city at an early age moving to London to follow his dream of being a sculptor. He made great progress in his chosen profession even developing a close friendship with the great, Rodin. Known as a ‘master-of-public monuments' he was at the pinnacle of his career when taking on the Parliamentary commission. It would be completed without any creative tensions but only a year after its unveiling he passed away after a sudden illness.