LONDON STATUES - THE REST
LONDON STATUES - THE REST
So, we come to the final post of this series - sorry I couldn't come up with a more imaginative title.
But first, a quiz.
Name the statues - and what do the subjects (apart from the last one) all have in common...?
Beau Brummell, the original dandy, stands elegantly in Jermyn Street - the spiritual home of British tailoring. A close friend of the Prince Regent, Brummell revolutionised men’s fashion with understated elegance: dark coats, crisp linen, and meticulous grooming - creating a template still visible in Savile Row style today. He reputedly took five hours to dress each day. His downfall came after insulting the Prince Regent; he died in poverty in France.
Jermyn Street
"The most exquisite thing a gentleman can wear is confidence." Beau Brummell
Played by:
Stewart Granger - Beau Brummell (1954)
Bonus trivia: Stewart Granger's real name was James Stewart.
Bruce Reynolds (1931-2013)
Mastermind of the Great Train Robbery, Bruce Reynolds lies in Highgate Cemetery - a curious resting place among poets and philosophers. His audacious 1963 heist became part of British criminal folklore, blurring the line between villainy and celebrity. The robbery netted £2.6 million (over £50 million today). Reynolds was on the run for five years before being caught and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. He was released in 1978.
Highgate Cemetery
Reynolds none-too-flattering gravestone was sculpted by his son Nick. It carries the legend "C'est la vie", the words Reynolds uttered when finally arrested in Torquay in 1968.Louis Mountbatten (1900–1979)
Mountbatten Green
"I never thought I'd have to tell you how to behave in public, Philip." Louis Mountbatten
Played by:
Greg Wise - The Crown (2016-2017)
Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941)
Founder of the global Scout Movement, Baden-Powell is commemorated as a symbol of character-building, outdoor life, and imperial-era values of duty and self-reliance. A military man turned youth pioneer, his legacy has endured far beyond its Edwardian origins, shaping generations worldwide. Scouting now exists in over 200 countries and territories and 'Be Prepared' remains one of the most recognised mottos in the world.
Headquarters of the Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford
Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913)
Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison is most famously associated with the 1913 Epsom Derby, where she stepped onto the racecourse and was struck by the King’s horse, Anmer. She died of her injuries four days later, and her actions sparked widespread debate about the suffrage movement. Some saw her as a martyr who sacrificed herself for the cause; others suggested she may have been trying to attach a suffragette banner to the horse rather than intending to die. Either way, her death became a powerful symbol of the struggle for women’s rights.
National Portrait Gallery Epsom High Street
This statue, by Christine Charlesworth, is not actually in Greater London, but it felt worth including alongside the other suffragettes in my earlier post. "No victory without sacrifice" is written on the base. It also gave me was an excuse for a splendid lunch with my favourite statue spotters Martin and Chris in The Rubbing House, overlooking the racecourse.
Tattenham Corner, Epsom Racecourse Epsom Cottage Hospital
The circular plaque is outside Epsom Cottage Hospital where Emily Davison was taken and where she regained partial consciousness before dying four days later.
Baker Street Station
The nine-foot-tall statue (1999) captures the familiar deerstalker-and-pipe image - owed as much to illustrators and actors as to Doyle himself. The deerstalker, in particular, comes largely from Sidney Paget’s illustrations rather than the text. The statue was funded by public subscription and the nearby Abbey National Bank, which, from the 1930s until 2002, employed a special secretary to answer all mail addressed to the fictional 221B Baker Street.
The address now actually exists, 221B having been officially assigned to the Sherlock Holmes Museum - which lies between 237 and 241 Baker Street.
Holmes and Watson have been portrayed on screen more than almost any other fictional characters. Here are some of the most familiar performances ...
Basil Rathbone, Holmes (1939–1946) with Nigel Bruce, Watson (1939–1946) - series of 14 movies.
Peter Cushing, Holmes (1959–1968) with André Morell, Watson - The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959 film).
Cushing later played Holmes in a BBC series (1968, now largely lost) with Nigel Stock as Watson.
Christopher Lee, Holmes (1962–1991)
Played Holmes multiple times.
Robert Stephens, Holmes with Colin Blakely, Watson (and Christopher Lee as Mycroft Holmes) - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
Nicole Williamson, Holmes with Robert Duvall, Watson - The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976).
Jeremy Brett, Holmes (1984–1994) with David Burke, Watson (1984–1985) and Edward Hardwicke, Watson (1986–1994) - Sherlock Holmes (Granada TV series).
Michael Caine, Holmes (1988) with Ben Kingsley, Watson (1988) - Without a Clue
Holmes is an actor hired by Watson to play the part!
Robert Downey Jr., Holmes (2009–2011) with Jude Law, Watson (2009-2011) - Sherlock Holmes (2009 film and 2011 sequel)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Holmes (2010–2017) with Martin Freeman, Watson (2010–2017) - Sherlock (BBC TV series)
Jonny Lee Miller, Holmes (2012–2019) with Lucy Liu, Joan Watson (2012–2019) - Elementary (2012-2019 TV series)
Ian McKellen, Holmes (2015) - Mr. Holmes
An ageing, reflective Holmes, without his old companion Watson.
J. M. Barrie’s boy who never grew up has one of London’s most enchanting statues, tucked into Kensington Gardens. Barrie arranged for it to appear overnight in 1912, as if by magic - very much in keeping with the spirit of the character. It is arguably the first statue in the world erected to a fictional character.
Kensington Gardens
Various animals - including mice, rabbits and squirrels - adorn the base of this iconic statue of Peter Pan. The creation of Sir George Frampton, the statue was commissioned and donated by Barrie himself in 1912. It is situated to the west of the Long Water, on the spot where Peter lands his bird's-nest boat in The Little White Bird. There are casts of the statue in several cities worldwide.
The first ever film I saw at the cinema was Disney’s Peter Pan (1953). I was five years old - and I found it terrifying. Seventy-three years later, I don’t always remember why I went upstairs. But I still vividly remember the crocodile, the clock… and the hook.
Perhaps, unlike Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan has rarely been played as a sharply defined character on screen or stage - hardly surprising as he is the boy who never grew up. On the other hand, plenty of actors - Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Isaacs, Jude Law, etc.- have tackled Captain Hook with great zeal.
Officially part of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, the statue of Eros commemorates philanthropic work rather than romance. Not only does the fountain no longer work, but the aluminium statue was actually modelled on Anteros - the Greek god of selfless love. Eros, by contrast, is the Greek god of sensual love and brother of Anteros.
... and later replaced - facing the opposite way. Why remains something of a mystery.
Quiz answers
By Peter Blake / Parlophone, Capitol Records
1. Sri Yukteswar Giri (Hindu guru)
2. Aleister Crowley (occultist)
3. Mae West (actress)
4. Lenny Bruce (comedian)
5. Karlheinz Stockhausen (composer)
6. W. C. Fields (comedian/actor)
7. Carl Jung (psychiatrist)
8. Edgar Allan Poe (writer)
9. Fred Astaire (actor/dancer)
10. Richard Merkin (artist and friend of Peter Blake)
11. The Vargas Girl (by artist Alberto Vargas)
12. Leo Gorcey (image was removed from cover, but a space remains)
13. Huntz Hall (actor)
14. Simon Rodia (designer and builder of the Watts Towers)
15. Bob Dylan (singer/songwriter)
Second row
17. Sir Robert Peel (19th century British Prime Minister)
18. Aldous Huxley (writer)
19. Dylan Thomas (poet)
20. Terry Southern (writer)
21. Dion DiMucci (singer/songwriter)
21. Dion DiMucci (singer/songwriter)
22. Tony Curtis (actor)
23. Wallace Berman (artist)
24. Tommy Handley (comedian)
25. Marilyn Monroe (actress)
26. William S. Burroughs (writer)
27. Sri Mahavatar Babaji (Hindu guru)
24. Tommy Handley (comedian)
25. Marilyn Monroe (actress)
26. William S. Burroughs (writer)
27. Sri Mahavatar Babaji (Hindu guru)
28. Stan Laurel (actor/comedian)
29. Richard Lindner (artist)
30. Oliver Hardy (actor/comedian)
32. H. G. Wells (writer)
33. Sri Paramahansa Yogananda (Hindu guru)
34A James Joyce (Irish poet and novelist) – barely visible below Bob Dylan
34. Anonymous (hairdresser's wax dummy)
34A James Joyce (Irish poet and novelist) – barely visible below Bob Dylan
34. Anonymous (hairdresser's wax dummy)
Third row
35. Stuart Sutcliffe (artist/former Beatle)
36. Anonymous (hairdresser's wax dummy)
37. Max Miller (comedian)
38. A Petty Girl (by artist George Petty)
36. Anonymous (hairdresser's wax dummy)
37. Max Miller (comedian)
38. A Petty Girl (by artist George Petty)
39. Marlon Brando (actor)
40. Tom Mix (actor)
40. Tom Mix (actor)
41. Oscar Wilde (writer)
42. Tyrone Power (actor)
43. Larry Bell (artist)
44. David Livingstone (missionary/explorer)
42. Tyrone Power (actor)
43. Larry Bell (artist)
44. David Livingstone (missionary/explorer)
45. Johnny Weissmuller (Olympic swimmer/Tarzan actor)
46. Stephen Crane (writer) – barely visible between Issy Bonn's head and raised arm
47. Issy Bonn (comedian)
48. George Bernard Shaw (playwright)
49. H. C. Westermann (sculptor)
50. Albert Stubbins (Liverpool footballer)
51. Sri Lahiri Mahasaya (guru)
52. Lewis Carroll (writer)
53. T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia")
51. Sri Lahiri Mahasaya (guru)
52. Lewis Carroll (writer)
53. T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia")
Front row
54. Wax model of Sonny Liston (boxer)
55. A Petty Girl (by artist George Petty)
56. Wax model of George Harrison
56. Wax model of George Harrison
57. Wax model of John Lennon
58. Shirley Temple (child actress) – barely visible behind the wax models of John and Ringo
59. Wax model of Ringo Starr
60. Wax model of Paul McCartney
61. Albert Einstein (physicist) – largely obscured
62. John Lennon holding a French horn
63. Ringo Starr holding a trumpet
64. Paul McCartney holding a cor anglais
65. George Harrison holding a piccolo
65A Bette Davis (actress) – hair barely visible on top of George's shoulder
66. Bobby Breen (singer)
67. Marlene Dietrich (actress/singer)
68. Mahatma Gandhi was planned for this position, but was deleted prior to publication
66. Bobby Breen (singer)
67. Marlene Dietrich (actress/singer)
68. Mahatma Gandhi was planned for this position, but was deleted prior to publication
69. An American legionnaire
70. Wax model of Diana Dors (actress)
71. Shirley Temple (child actress) – second appearance on the cover
Yes, they all feature on Peter Blake's montage for the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
71. Shirley Temple (child actress) – second appearance on the cover
Yes, they all feature on Peter Blake's montage for the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
... apart from Gandhi who was originally included, but removed before publication. EMI head Joseph Lockwood felt that the Indian market would regard Gandhi's depiction amongst a group of entertainers as disrespectful.
References
London's Monuments - Andrew Kershman (2013). Pocket guide with maps, very handy.
London's Statues and Monuments - Peter Matthews (2018). Detailed information about the statues.
Wikipedia: List of Public Art in London - handily divided into boroughs.
ChatGPT/Meta - for brainstorming, research, subbing - and providing a beautiful sunset over Parliament Square when Big Ben clearly says it's 2.10pm.
That's All Folks!
very enjoyable finale to an interesting and informative series. (for what it's worth, i suspect bruce reynolds' son used a death mask of his father)
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