John Viriamu Jones (1856–1901) by Sir William Goscombe John. This marble seated statue was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1906, and is now in the reception area of Cardiff University's main building in Cathay's Park. Jones, a brilliant young physicist and mathematician, was the institution's first principal. Having been selected for the position in 1883, he set about getting funds for the new building, and became the University of Wales's first vice-chancellor when it gained its royal charter in 1893.

Left: profile with distracting background digitally removed. Right: Toppart of the inscription on the pedestal.

Although is not easy to appreciate fully with tables placed in front of it, the statue has a resonance: John Newman describes it as "finely conceived,"and the figure as "relaxed but contemplative" (234). According to the campus guide, the reception area is known as the Viriamu Jones Gallery.

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Photographs, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you credit the photographer and link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.]

Bibliography

"The Cathays Park Campus: A self-guided tour." Web. 18 July 2019.

Newman, John, with contributions” by Stephen Hughes and Anthony Ward. Glamorgan (Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan). Buildings of Wales series. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2004.

Steele, Robert, & Iwan Rys Morus. "Jones, John Viriamu (1856–1901), university administrator and physicist." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 18 July 2019.


Created 18 July 2019