POLITICIANS and local residents alike have reacted with, for the most part, joy to the news that the Sir Henry Morton (HM) Stanley statue will remain in Denbigh.

The statue of famous explorer Sir Henry Morton (HM) Stanley) was commissioned by Denbigh Town Council more than ten years ago, with North Wales artist Nick Elphick creating the scuplture.

However, Stanley’s association with European imperialism led to protests sparked by Black Lives Matters in 2020.

Denbigh Town Council held a meeting in June 2020 to discuss its future. Members voted 6-5 to keep it in lieu of a public consultation on whether to retain it long-term or move it from the wider public’s gaze.

However, Mayor at the time of the debate, Cllr Gaynor Wood-Tickle, promised people in Denbigh a “democratic vote” and full public consultation on the matter.

On October 15 and 16 of this year, locals casted their votes to end the uncertainty surrounding the statue for good.

During a full council meeting held on Wednesday, October 27, Denbigh Town Council confirmed that the statue would be staying where it is - outside the town library.

The public vote saw 592 Denbigh residents cast their votes with 471 people voting in favour of keeping the statue where it is - meaning that 79.6% of those who voted were in favour of seeing it stay put.

However, just 8.8% of the 6,725 Denbigh residents eligible to vote on the matter, turned out to do so.

That news was met with delight by a number of people.

Denbigh Cllr Gwyneth Kensler said: "I am very pleased with the result; it was quite decisive, 80%-20%. Now we have to dispel some of the myths and lies told about him and get a true picture of the man and of his times.

"Through him, we can learn so much about the Victorian period, in Britain and globally. Of course he wasn't perfect but he wasn't a racist, he wasn't cruel, he hated slavery and he was sacked by Leopold long before the atrocities occurred in the Congo."

Vale of Clwyd MS Gareth Davies said: "Good to see local democracy and common sense prevailing in Denbigh."

The statue's sculptor, Nick Elphick added that he was 'well happy' and 'very proud' that it would be staying put in Denbigh.

Resident also voiced their opinions on the Denbighshire Free Press Facebook page.

One user wrote: "Very pleased to read this, good decision. History is history, good or bad. Also a beautiful piece of sculpture in its own right!"

Another commented: "Good decision. Apart from anything else, shows respect for our first rate North Wales sculptor Nick Elphick."

Another disappointed by the news, wrote: "Shame on the people of Denbigh. We should not be commemorating these monsters!"

Journalist and explorer HM Stanley is synonymous with the phrase “Dr Livingstone, I presume”, after finding the Scottish explorer who had been lost in central Africa.

Stanley, born John Rowlands, started life fatherless in Denbigh in 1841 and was put into the Asaph workhouse in nearby St Asaph.

He emigrated to the United States as a teenager, where he reinvented himself.

After fighting in the American Civil war, Stanley became a journalist and then an explorer – finding the source of the Nile, mapping central Africa’s Great Lakes and also the borders of the present day Democratic Republic of Congo.

His work was instrumental in triggering the "scramble for Africa", which saw the violent colonization of the continent by European nations eager to plunder its resources.

Stanley reportedly established the "Congo Free State" for King Leopold II of Belgium, travelling the country persuading largely illiterate native rulers to sign away their land rights to the king.

His behaviour was considered particularly brutal even for his time, and he was known to allegedly kill indigenous people for even the smallest provocation. Fellow British explorer Richard Burton commented at the time that Stanley shot African people like they were animals.

One entry from Stanley's diary at the time describes an encounter with African villagers who laughed at him on his arrival: "The beach was crowded with infuriates and mockers...I opened on them with the Winchester Repeating Rifle. Six shots and four deaths were sufficient to quiet the mocking.”

Stanley's defenders say he was not working for the Belgian despot when the atrocities occurred, and he has been unfairly tainted.