statues

violet szabo bust london

“Carve their names with pride”: the SOE Memorial

29/02/2024 donbrown 0

Many of the stories of those who served in WW2 are capable of inducing in those of us who have never had to face such […]

herbert and sons lion sculpture in west smithfield london

“Justice and Strength”: the Smithfield Lion

13/12/2023 donbrown 0

Just across the street from where the new London Museum (nee Museum of London) is emerging in copper-covered glory from the old Poultry Market is […]

the golden boy of pye corner

Gluttony and grave robbing – Pye Corner in Smithfield

21/10/2023 donbrown 0

Stroll up Giltspur Street towards Smithfield Market and look up to your left at the building on the corner of Cock Lane. In an arched […]

Prince Albert’s Mega-kitsch Memorial

06/09/2023 donbrown 0

Of course the damn thing is utterly absurd. Every criticism of high victoriana – over-sentimental, over-decorated, over-elaborate to the point of fussy, over size – […]

The Teenage Queen Victoria

15/08/2023 donbrown 0

If I say “Queen Victoria” I’m guessing that the picture in your head is of the late-age monarch, ‘we are not amused’-era, dressed in mourning […]

equestrian statue of ferdinand foch by george malissard

Equestrian Statue of Ferdinand Foch, Grosvenor Gardens

15/07/2023 donbrown 0

WHAT: Ferdinand Foch WHERE: Lower Grosvenor Gardens (map) BY WHOM: Georges Malissard WHEN: 1930 Within the (slightly grotty) public space of Lower Grosvenor Gardens, facing […]

The Henry Fawcett Memorial, Embankment Gardens

10/05/2023 donbrown 0

WHAT: Henry Fawcett Memorial WHERE: Victoria Embankment Gardens (map) BY WHOM: Mary Grant WHEN: 1886 There are numerous late Victorian statues and memorials in Embankment […]

The Riddle of the (Embankment) Sphinx

15/12/2022 donbrown 0

As an adventure in Google, in maps, in diving down rabbit holes, my plan to post up a photo I took of one of the […]

The Statue of General Wolfe, Greenwich Park

28/08/2022 donbrown 0

WHAT: Statue of James Wolfe WHERE: The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (map) BY WHOM: Robert Tait McKenzie WHEN: 1930 From the statue of James Wolfe, next […]

The South Bank Lion

20/08/2022 donbrown 0

For the past several months I’ve been taking groups of cruise passengers on a Winston Churchill tour – five days encompassing Chartwell, Bletchley, Blenheim, the […]