The clothing manufacturer, George Holloway, was once the largest employer in Stroud. He was also a Member of Parliament, a social reformer and the man who brought sewing machines and ready-to-wear clothing to England. Other achievements include the founding of the Mid-Gloucester Working Men's Benefit Society, which by 1888 had grown to 3,500 members. It was later know as the Original Holloway Benefit Society, being the first of many similar societies throughout the country. This statue was completed in 1894 by T R Essex.