Merton Russell-Cotes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Merton Russell-Cotes (8 May 1835, Wolverhampton – 27 January 1921, Bournemouth) was Mayor of Bournemouth, England, 1894-1895. During his Mayoralty, Meyrick Park, two free libraries, and the two first schools of art in the borough were opened.

He moved to Bournemouth in 1876, and took an active part in developing the town. He was mainly responsible for the construction of the Undercliff Drive and Promenade. When Bournemouth became a borough in 1890, he presented the mace — a replica of that presented to Wolverhampton by Queen Elizabeth I. He was offered the mayoralty in 1893 but declined it due to temporary ill health. He was for many years owner of the Royal Bath Hotel.

Russell-Cotes amassed a large collection of works of art and curios. Some of them are displayed in the Russell-Cotes Museum, Bournemouth's principal museum, which is located in his former house and is named in his honour.

He was a friend of Sir Henry Irving, who stayed with him on several occasions. Russell-Cotes was knighted in 1909.

Although his name is usually hyphenated today, there is no hyphen in his Who's Who entry, and he is described on the plaque marking the opening of the Undercliff Drive and Promenade as Cllr. Cotes, not Cllr. Russell-Cotes.