The monument is located at Oriel College in the University of Oxford and commemorates “the enormous services provided by Cecil Rhodes.”
The statue that the Rhodes Must Fall group protested against for years is next to the Oriel College memorial.
Despite activists’ claims that Rhodes was mired in racism, colonialism, and white supremacy, the government has accorded it listed status.
Prior to now, Historic England claimed that the plaque, which is located on the college campus’s structure bearing Rhodes’ name, did not require legal protection.
Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, believed it to be of “special historic interest,” according to the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).
When Rhodes passed away in 1902, he gave £100,000 to the college.
Rhodes was a southern African statesman and merchant who attended Oriel in the 19th century.
The plaque at King Edward Street was “minded” to receive listed status in June, according to DCMS, because of its “special and architectural and historic interest.”
Historic England has since awarded it official Grade II listing status.
In order for individuals to investigate all facets of British history and comprehend our shared past, the DCMS is dedicated to preserving and interpreting our heritage.
The plaque, designed by Onslow Whiting, has been there since 1906 and was commissioned by Hatton Garden diamond dealer Sir Alfred Mosely.
Historic England stated in February 2020 that the bronze memorial lacks the “richness of detail” necessary to qualify as a national treasure.
The plaque and a monument of Rhodes in High Street were to be removed, according to the governing council of Oriel the next year.
The impartial commission set up to look at the organization’s future and Rhodes’ legacy supported that choice.
However, the institution then declared that because to expenses and “complicated” planning procedures, it would not attempt to move them.