THE GRAND MORTAR - From Cadiz, in St. Jame's [sic] Park. Explanation of the Carriage, Allegorical Figures, Inscriptions and Dimensions of the Bed and Mortar.

1814. Broadside, 285 x 220 mm. woodcut, old folds. The Grand Mortar, a gift from the Spanish nation in honour of the Duke of Wellington, stands with two other guns opposite Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. It was installed and decorated to commemorate the Siege of Cadiz [1810 - 12], in which a small number of Spanish and allied soldiers held off sixty thousand French troops. The long siege included a massive artillery bombardment from a distance previously thought to be impossible involving some of the largest artillery pieces in existence at the time. These 'grand mortars' had a range of up to 3 miles and were so large that they had to be abandoned when the French eventually retreated. This mortar is one of those left behind. The carriage was built by the Royal Arsenal and was elaborately decorated with an allegorical figure of the monster Geryon from the labours of Hercules. The broadside also lists the mortar's impressive statistics. The University of Manchester is the single location traced.

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