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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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William Birnie Rhind
Bronze statue with granite pedestal
1911
Corner of St Kilda Road and Government House Drive
John Adrian Lewis Hope, the Earl of Hopetoun, arrived in Australia to serve as the governor of Victoria from 1889 to 1895. During these years he travelled widely, investigating social conditions and alleviating hardship where he could. He returned to England in 1895, with a reputation for being one of the most conscientious governors in Australia. He returned to Australia in 1901 to become the new federation's first governor-general, but his popularity quickly waned, in part because his expenses were perceived as exorbitant. He resigned from his position a year later and returned to his native Scotland, where he died in 1905. In 1902, the Earl of Hopetoun was made Marquis of Linlithgow.
A handful of anonymous tenders for a commemorative statue to Hope were considered before Rhind's design was selected. Lady Linlithgow had requested that her late husband be represented on horseback to show his admiration for these noble beasts. Rhind's moulds were made in Scotland and the bronze was cast in Naples. Governor-General Sir John Fuller and acting Prime Minister William Hughes unveiled the statue in June 1911.