LONDON STATUES - INTERNATIONAL

 

LONDON STATUES - INTERNATIONAL

    This isn't a definitive collection. There are other statues of foreign figures in London I've already covered elsewhere (not least the American presidents, so this mops up the rest, a smorgasbord of mostly military and political leaders (.... who loom large in their own national stories).

 FERDINAND FOCH (1851–1929)

     Marshal Ferdinand Foch was Supreme Allied Commander during the final year of World War I, coordinating the push to victory on the Western Front.  A career soldier, he later played a key role in the Treaty of Versailles negotiations - though he felt Britain and the United States were too lenient on Germany. Undoubtedly one of the great commanders of the war, he became the first foreign soldier to be appointed an honorary British field marshal. His strategies are still studied today.

   

Grosvenor Gardens

     This statue, near Victoria Station was unveiled by the future Edward VIII in 1930. The plinth reads: "I am conscious of having served England as I served my country".  

     Ferdinand Foch – “My centre is yielding, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.”

CHARLES DE GAULLE (1890–1970)

     Leader of Free France during World War II and later President of France (1959-1969), Charles de Gaulle is celebrated for his vision of a strong, independent France and his efforts to rebuild the nation after the war. He shaped French foreign policy - often to Britain's irritation - and opposed US influence.

Carlton Gardens

    Winston Churchill: "He looks like a llama who has been surprised in the bath."

    When he wasn’t saying ‘non’ to the British, de Gaulle did deliver the occasional bon mot:

    “When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when his is wrong. We are angry at each other much of the time.”

    “I cannot prevent the French from being French.”

    “I myself became a Gaullist only little by little.”

    “Belgium is a country invented by the British to annoy the French.”

And, perhaps most famously ….

    “How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six kinds of cheese?”

Played by:

     Lambert Wilson in the 2010 TV movie The Death of De Gaulle.

     Michel Duchaussoy in the 2005 TV movie Le président Ferrare.

     Samuel Labarthe in the 2020 movie De Gaulle.

     Adrien Cayla-Legrand in the 1973 movie The Day of the Jackal. Cayla-Legrand bore a resemblance to De Gaulle and played him in several films.

                                      Adrien Cayla-Legrand in The Day of the Jackal.

      The movie also included archive footage of de Gaulle himself.

WLADYSLAW SIKORSKI (1881–1943)

     Polish Prime Minister and military leader in exile during WWII, Sikorski worked tirelessly in London to represent Polish interests and maintain resistance against Nazi occupation. His army of over 80,000 exiled Poles was vital to Britain's survival during the war, with Polish pilots playing a key part in the Battle of Britain. In 1943, his plane crashed into the sea immediately after take-off from Gibraltar, with the pilot being the only survivor. The circumstances remain controversial, especially given tensions with Stalin over Poland’s post-war borders.

     Despite the name, he was not closely related to aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky.

Polish Embassy, Portland Place

     Wladyslaw Sikorski – “Without Poland’s freedom, there can be no peace in Europe.”

SIMON BOLÍVAR (1783–1830)

     Known as “El Libertador,” Bolívar led several South American countries to independence from Spanish rule, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. His vision was a united South America, though it did not fully materialise. But he's still a celebrated figure across the continent. 

     Bolívar spent time in London in 1807-1808, studying Enlightenment ideas and European politics before returning to the revolution.

Belgrave Square

     Created by Venezuelan sculptor Hugo Daini, the statue was unveiled in 1974. A quotation from Bolívar on the plinth reads, "I am convinced that England alone is capable of protecting the world's precious rights as she is great, glorious and wise". Different times indeed.

Played by:

     Maximilian Schell in the 1969 film Bolivar

     Édgar Ramírez in the 2013 film The Liberator

     Simon Bolívar – “The freedom of the New World is the hope of the old.”

JOSÉ DE SAN MARTÍN (1778–1850)

     Argentine general José de San Martín was a key figure in South America’s independence movements. In an alliance with deposed Chilean leader Bernardo O'Higgins, San Martín liberated Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish colonial rule. He had no political ambitions, retiring in 1824, and ending his days living in France.

Belgrave Square

     This statue was a gift from the British community in Argentina.

     José de San Martín – “Soldiers must be free, as their country must be free.”

BERNARDO O’HIGGINS (1778–1842)

     The Chilean independence leader Bernardo O’Higgins is considered the founding father of Chile, serving as its first head of state after liberation from Spain. He was the illegitimate son of Ambrosio O'Higgins, 1st Marquis of Osorno, a Spanish officer born in County Sligo, Ireland. His Irish roots make him an unusual bridge between Latin America and Britain.

Bridge Street, Richmond

    O'Higgins lived and studied in Richmond-upon-Thames from 1795-1798. 

     Bernardo O’Higgins – “Liberty is the most precious possession of a people.”

PETER THE GREAT (1672–1725)

 

     Tsar Peter I modernised Russia and expanded its influence in Europe, founding Saint Petersburg as a “window to the West.”  He visited London in 1698-1699 as part of his famous “Grand Embassy,” a European tour to study shipbuilding, trade, and Western technologies. Despite having the intention of keeping a low profile, Peter the Great arrived in London with four chamberlains, three interpreters, two clock makers, a cook, a priest, six trumpeters, seventy soldiers, four dwarfs and a monkey. He spent several months in England, mainly in Deptford and London, learning from shipyards on the Thames and meeting engineers, architects, and politicians. His focus was especially on naval innovation - he reportedly chopped wood and worked alongside English shipwrights to observe ship construction first-hand. 

Glaisher Street, Deptford

     Commemorating the four months Peter the Great spent in Deptford, this strikingly eccentric modern sculpture was designed by Russian architect Viacheslav Bukhaev and is the work of Mihail Chemiakin, a Russian sculptor exiled in the USA. It was unveiled in 2001.

Played by:

    Maximilian Schell in the 1986 TV series Peter the Great.

    Omar Sharif in the 2007 TV series Peter the Great: The Testament.

    Peter the Great – “I wanted to make Russia a great nation, and I have begun.”

MAHATMA GANDHI (1869–1948)

     Leader of India’s nonviolent independence movement against British colonial rule, Gandhi’s philosophy of peaceful protest influenced civil rights movements worldwide. On August 15, 1947, while independence was celebrated, Gandhi fasted and pleaded for peace amid the violence of Partition which had gripped the subcontinent with religious violence. Gandhi's fasting and protests are widely credited with helping to reduce the carnage. His final fast took place in January 1948, just days before being assassinated by Nathuram Godse.

   

Parliament Square

     The Gandhi statue in Parliament Square was unveiled in 2015, almost 70 years after his assassination.

  
Tavistock Square                       Lancashire, 1931 (National Portrait Gallery)    

   This statue was erected under the aegis of the India League by the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Committee and unveiled in 1968 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

    Gandhi came to London in 1931 to attend the second Round Table Conference on Indian Independence, representing the Indian National Congress (INC). The conference was a failure, but Gandhi captured the British public’s imagination. During his visit to Lancashire, he was welcomed enthusiastically by local weavers despite the Indian boycott of British goods.

Played by:
    Ben Kingsley in the 1982 film Gandhi

    Rajit Kapur in 1996 film The Making of the Mahatma
    Darshan Jariwala in the 2007 film Gandhi, My Father
    Satyajit Bose in the 1968 film Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869-1948
    Gandhi himself in the 1942 film The Courage of Gandhi
    Ben Kingsley again in the 2019 film Welcome to Marwen

         Mahatma Gandhi – “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

 

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU (1889–1964)

    Nehru's broadcast announcing Gandhi’s assassination began: "Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere ...."  As India’s first Prime Minister, Nehru shaped the newly independent nation with his vision of democracy, secularism, and industrial modernization. He provided stability for India after the death of his mentor and continued as Prime Minister until his own death in 1964 from a heart attack. His daughter Indira Gandhi would later become Prime Minister. Despite the name, she was not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

      India Place, adjacent to the Indian High Commission          National Portrait Gallery            

     Nehru's bronze bust (1948) in the Portrait Gallery is by Jacob Epstein.

Played by:
     Roshan Seth in the 1982 film Gandhi

    Jawaharlal Nehru – “The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds.”

SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN (1920–1975)

     Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a politician and statesman who played a pivotal role in Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. Born in 1920, he was a charismatic leader and founding father of the new country, serving as it's first President and later as Prime Minister.  Mujib, as he's widely known, was instrumental in the Bangladesh Liberation War, with his iconic '7th March Speech' often cited as a catalyst for the movement. He's also the architect of Bangladesh's constitution and is revered as 'Bangabandhu' (Friend of Bengal). Tragically, he was assassinated in a coup led by army officers in 1975, but remains a national hero and icon in Bangladesh.

Sydney Street, Whitechapel

    This eye-catching bust sits rather incongruously in the front garden of a terraced house in Whitechapel, the home of Afsar Khan Sadek, the Joint Secretary of the London Awami League.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – “The struggle for our nation is the struggle of our lives.”

RAOUL WALLENBERG (1912–1947, presumed)

    Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust through daring protective actions. When, in 1945, Budapest fell to the Russian army, Wallenberg was taken to Moscow where he vanished into the Soviet prison system. His last resting place is unknown.

Great Cumberland Place

Played by: 
     Richard Chamberlain in the 1985 movie Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story

     Stellan Skarsgård in the 1990 movie Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg

Raoul Wallenberg – “One person can make a difference.”

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR (1929–1968)

     Iconic American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. championed racial equality through nonviolent protest, inspiring generations globally. He rose to prominence in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. He also helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. Assassinated in Memphis by James Earl Ray, his legacy drives ongoing equality movements.

     America celebrates MLK Day on the third Monday of January. Previously, entry to National Parks was free on MLK Day and Juneteenth (end of slavery in US); however under a directive by the Trump Administration, this was ended, and instead free entry would be on Donald Trump's birthday (June 14), which coincides with Flag Day. 

Westminster Abbey

     Martin Luther King is one of ten statues of 20th-century Christian martyrs above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey ....

   Commemorated are Maximilian Kolbe, Manche Masemola, Janani Luwum, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Martin Luther King Jr., Oscar Romero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Esther John, Lucian Tapiedi, and Wang Zhiming. The statues were unveiled in 1998. 

Played by:

    Paul Winfield in the 1978 mini series King

    Jeffrey Wright in the 2001 TV movie Boycott

    Anthony Mackie in the 2016 movie All the Way

    David Oyelowo in the 2014 film Selma

 

   Interestingly (well, I think so) British actor Oyelowo himself is immortalised in bronze in Leicester Square (as Chris Washington in the 2017 movie Get Out) ..... 

    Martin Luther King Jr. – “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

JAN SMUTS (1870–1950)

     South African soldier, statesman and intellectual, Jan Smuts fought against the  British in the Boer War, on one occasion interrogating a young Winston Churchill. Later, he served in Britain's WWI war cabinet and, as South African prime minister, led his country into WWII on the side of the Allies, himself being promoted to field marshal in the British army. Smuts supported existing policies of racial discrimination in South Africa, but his parties did take a more moderate and ambiguous stance than the rival National Party, the party of full-blown apartheid. 

     Smuts is the only person whose signature is on both the Treaty of Versailles and the UN Charter.  

Parliament Square

    Smuts’ statue, by Jacob Epstein, commemorates his role as a British Commonwealth ally and global thinker.

Jan Smuts – “Unity is strength, division is weakness.”

Winston Churchill - "Smuts and I are like two old love-birds moulting together on a perch, but still able to peck".

NELSON MANDELA (1918–2013)

    Anti-apartheid revolutionary and South Africa’s first Black president, Mandela is celebrated worldwide for reconciliation and leadership in democracy. As president (1994–1999) he led efforts to reconcile the post-apartheid nation after spending 27 years in prison as an icon of resistance. He was released in 1990 and honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. 

     Parliament Square

     This statue, by Ian Walters, was originally intended for Trafalgar Square, close to South Africa House - but Westminster Council felt it would cause an obstruction. At its unveiling in 2007, Mandela spoke of a visit to London forty-five years earlier when he and Oliver Tambo had jokingly wondered if a statue of a black person would ever stand next to that of Smuts.

 

National Portrait Gallery                                  Royal Festival Hall

    Both these busts are also by Ian Walters. The huge one (above, right) was erected by Ken Livingstone's Greater London Council in 1985 and unveiled by Oliver Tambo. At the time Mandela was still in prison and referred to as a terrorist by the Thatcher government. 

Played by:

     Morgan Freeman in the 2009 movie Invictus

     Idris Elba in the 2013 movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Atandwa Kani as young Mandela)

     Danny Glover in the 1987 TV movie Mandela

     Sidney Poitier in the 1997 TV movie Mandela and de Klerk

     Clarke Peters in the 2009 movie Endgame 

     David Harewood in the 2010 TV movie Mrs. Mandela

     Laurence Fishburne in the 2017 miniseries Madiba

     Nelson Mandela himself in the 1992 film Malcolm X

    Nelson Mandela – “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

OLIVER TAMBO (1917–1993)

    ANC leader in exile and anti-apartheid activist, Oliver Tambo coordinated international campaigns against apartheid while in London, engaging British politicians and diaspora communities during apartheid.

   

O.R. Tambo Recreation Ground, Muswell Hill

      Tambo, his wife Adelaide, and their children were frequent visitors to this park during his exile. The statue on the left, with Tambo holding The Freedom Charter, was unveiled in 2019 by Tambo's daughter Thembi. The bust (2007) is another by Ian Walters to go with his three statues of Nelson Mandela.

Played by:

     Carl Lumbly in the 1987 TV movie Mandela

     John Kani in the 2009 movie Endgame

     Cornelius Macathy in the 2013 movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

     Juma Rajabu in the 2017 miniseries Madiba

Oliver Tambo – “We are not free until all are free.”

SAINT OLAF OF NORWAY (995–1030)

     King Olaf II, later canonized as Saint Olaf, is remembered for uniting Norway and introducing Christianity to the country. He died at the Battle of Stiklestad, after which Norway was ruled by King Cnut of England for five years. St. Olav's Day (July 29) is the anniversary of his death. He is buried at Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedral.

Norway House, Cockspur Street

    Olaf II of Norway – “Faith and courage sustain a nation.”

ST VOLODYMYR (VOLDEMIR THE GREAT) (c.958–1015)

    A Grand Prince of Kyev, Volodymyr Christianized Ukraine, shaping the spiritual and cultural trajectory of Eastern Europe. Now celebrated in Eastern Orthodox churches, he married the Byzantine princess Anna Porphyrogenita. 

Ukrainian Religious Society of St Sophia, Holland Park Avenue

     I happened to be passing this place a couple of days after the highly publicised Oval Office meeting involving Volodymry Zelensky.

    St Volodymyr (attributed) – “Through faith, a people endures and flourishes.”

     From Europe to Africa, the Americas to Asia, every one of these leaders - some assassinated, some exiled - has a London connection, making the city an almost invisible crossroads of global history.