List of public art in Strand, London

This is a list of public art in and around Strand, a thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, London.

Strand has linked Westminster with the City of London since the time of the Anglo-Saxons.[1] Aldwych is a crescent at its eastern end created during urban improvements in the early 20th century. Among the examples of architectural sculpture in this area, Jacob Epstein's reliefs of the Ages of Man for Zimbabwe House (originally the British Medical Association building) are of particular note. These were the sculptor's first major works in Britain and the subject of heated controversy due to the figures' nudity in a public setting.[2]

On the campus of the London School of Economics, much of the public art was bequeathed to the university in 2005 by Louis Odette, a Canadian alumnus who also founded the Windsor Sculpture Park in Windsor, Ontario. He bequeathed a total of 13 works, mainly by Canadian sculptors, to the institution. Not all of those works are within the remit of this list, as some are situated indoors or in the adjacent borough of Camden.[3]

Map of public art in Strand

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerArchitect / otherTypeDesignationNotes
Bust of Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexDevereux Court1676 c. 1676Attributed to Caius Gabriel CibberBustGrade II[4]

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Statue of George IIISomerset House, Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court

51°30′41″N 0°07′03″W / 51.5113°N 0.1174°W / 51.5113; -0.1174 (Statue of George III)
1790 c. 1790John BaconWilliam ChambersSculptural groupsGrade IThe King, in the upper group, leans on a rudder and is flanked by a British lion and the prow of a classical barge; the Thames is represented below him as a river god. The maritime theme refers both to the function of the building, as offices for the Royal Navy (among other institutions), and to the King himself as steering the ship of state.[5]
Lions sejantThe Law Society, Chancery Lane1852 (original model)Alfred StevensCharles HoldenIron railing finialsGrade II*Copies of the figures originally designed for the (now removed) dwarf-posts outside the British Museum, incorporated by Holden into his Law Society extension of 1902–1904. The same design also appears on the railings surrounding Stevens's magnum opus, the Duke of Wellington's tomb in St Paul's Cathedral (completed in 1912).[6][7]
Kaled (also known as Lara's Page or Kaled on the Morning of Lara's Battle)193 Fleet Street1872–1873Giuseppe GrandiArcher & GreenStatue in nicheGrade II[8]

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Architectural sculpture193 Fleet Street1883Houghton of Great Portland StreetArcher & GreenArchitectural sculptureGrade II[8]
Truth, Justice, Liberty and MercyThe Law Society1902–1904Charles PibworthCharles HoldenArchitectural sculptureGrade II*[9]

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Statue of Peter II, Count of SavoySavoy Hotel, Strand1904 (erected)Frank Lynn JenkinsThomas Edward CollcuttStatueGrade II[10]

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Memorial to William Ewart GladstoneStrand, in front of St Clement Danes

51°30′47″N 0°06′53″W / 51.5130°N 0.1146°W / 51.5130; -0.1146 (Memorial to William Ewart Gladstone)
1905William Hamo ThornycroftJohn LeeMemorial with statue and other sculptureGrade IIUnveiled 4 November 1905. Allegorical figures around the base represent Courage, Education, Aspiration and Brotherhood. Also represented are the arms of Gladstone's constituencies, Midlothian, Oxford University, the Duchy of Lancaster and Newark.[11]
Architectural sculpture on Milford LaneMilford Lane, near the junction with Strand

51°30′46″N 0°06′49″W / 51.5128°N 0.1137°W / 51.5128; -0.1137 (Architectural sculpture on Milford Lane)
c. 1900–1925Henry PooleRepurposed architectural sculptureCommissioned for the offices of the United Kingdom Provident Institution, demolished in the 1970s.[12]
Architectural sculpture on Milford LaneMilford Lane, opposite Little Essex Street

51°30′45″N 0°06′48″W / 51.5124°N 0.1134°W / 51.5124; -0.1134 (Architectural sculpture on Milford Lane)
c. 1900–1925Henry PooleRepurposed architectural sculptureCommissioned for the offices of the United Kingdom Provident Institution, demolished in the 1970s.[12]
Architectural sculpture on Milford LaneMilford Lane, at junction with Tweezer's Alley

51°30′44″N 0°06′47″W / 51.5121°N 0.1131°W / 51.5121; -0.1131 (Architectural sculpture on Milford Lane)
c. 1900–1925Henry PooleRepurposed architectural sculptureCommissioned for the offices of the United Kingdom Provident Institution, demolished in the 1970s.[12]
The Ages of Man429 Strand (Zimbabwe House)1907–1908Jacob EpsteinCharles HoldenReliefsGrade II*

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Statue of Samuel JohnsonStrand, behind St Clement Danes

51°30′48″N 0°06′49″W / 51.5132°N 0.1136°W / 51.5132; -0.1136 (Statue of Samuel Johnson)
1910Percy Hetherington FitzgeraldStatueGrade IIUnveiled 4 August 1910. Fitzgerald was an amateur sculptor and something of a self-appointed authority on Dr Johnson, who was a parishioner of St Clement's. A portrait medallion of James Boswell is set into the pedestal, which is a post-war replacement for the original.[13]

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The Prosperity of AustraliaLeft of the main entrance of Australia House, Aldwych/Strand1915–1918Harold ParkerAlexander Marshall MackenzieArchitectural sculptureGrade II[14]

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The Awakening of AustraliaRight of the main entrance of Australia House, Aldwych/Strand1915–1918Harold ParkerAlexander Marshall MackenzieArchitectural sculptureGrade II[14]

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Phoebus Driving the Horses of the SunAustralia House, Aldwych/Strand1919; erected 1923Bertram MackennalAlexander Marshall MackenzieArchitectural sculptureGrade II[14] [15]

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Civil Service Rifles War MemorialSomerset House, River Terrace

51°30′37″N 0°07′03″W / 51.51032°N 0.11756°W / 51.51032; -0.11756 (Civil Service Rifles War Memorial)
1923Edwin LutyensMemorialGrade II*Unveiled 27 January 1924 in the centre of the courtyard of Somerset House; relocated in 2002. The fictive flags are a feature that Lutyens originally intended to employ on the Cenotaph in Whitehall.[16] Originally these were of copper but they have been replaced by flags carved from stone and painted.[17]
Memorial to Andrew YoungStrand, rear of central block of Bush House

51°30′45″N 0°07′01″W / 51.5125°N 0.1169°W / 51.5125; -0.1169 (Memorial to Andrew Young)
1924Eric BradburyHarvey Wiley Corbett (Bush House)Plaque with portrait reliefInscribed IN MEMORY OF/ ANDREW YOUNG F.S.I/ FIRST VALUER TO THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL/ 1884–1914/ HE LABOURED TO BEAUTIFY/ THE LONDON HE LOVED. Young oversaw the building of Aldwych and Kingsway in 1899–1905.[18][19]
Anglo-American FriendshipBush House, Aldwych

51°30′47″N 0°07′03″W / 51.5131°N 0.1175°W / 51.5131; -0.1175 (Anglo-American Friendship)
1924–1925Malvina HoffmanHarvey Wiley Corbett (Bush House)Architectural sculptureGrade II[20]
Two elephants and a relief of the Lion Capital of AshokaIndia House, Aldwych1930sArchitectural sculptureGrade II[21]
Twelve decorations representing the states of IndiaIndia House, Aldwych1930sArchitectural sculptureGrade II[21]
ThoughtClare Market, Old Building (London School of Economics)1932–1933Edgar Silver FrithA. S. G. ButlerBas-reliefs[22][23][24]
MosaicClare Market, St Clement's Building (London School of Economics)

51°30′52″N 0°07′01″W / 51.5144°N 0.1170°W / 51.5144; -0.1170 (Mosaic)
1961Harry Warren WilsonWhite-Cooper & TurnerMosaicThe mosaic represents the River Thames and subjects taught at the LSE.[25][26][23]
Winged FormGray's Inn Fields1968Geoffrey WickhamArchitectural sculpture[27]

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Statue of Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron DowdingStrand, in front of St Clement Danes

51°30′47″N 0°06′51″W / 51.5130°N 0.1143°W / 51.5130; -0.1143 (Statue of Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding)
1988Faith WinterC. A. HartStatueUnveiled 30 October 1988 by the Queen Mother.[28] The first of a pair of statues of notable Royal Air Force personnel to be erected outside St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the RAF.[29] The pose has been described as "deliberately unheroic".[28]
The MarchersKing's College, London1975Fred KormisRelief[30]

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Bust of Jawaharlal NehruIndia Place

51°30′44″N 0°07′07″W / 51.5123°N 0.1185°W / 51.5123; -0.1185 (Memorial to Jawaharlal Nehru)
1991Latika KattPeter Leach AssociatesBustUnveiled 14 November 1991 in India House.[31]

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Statue of Sir Arthur Harris, 1st BaronetStrand, in front of St Clement Danes

51°30′47″N 0°06′52″W / 51.5131°N 0.1144°W / 51.5131; -0.1144 (Statue of Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet)
1992Faith WinterT. Hart and Michael GossStatueUnveiled 31 May 1992 by the Queen Mother. The decision to commemorate "Bomber" Harris ignited a major controversy and was criticised by the mayors of Cologne and Dresden. The unveiling was met by a public protest.[32]

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Baby TemboJohn Watkins Plaza (London School of Economics)

51°30′51″N 0°07′00″W / 51.5143°N 0.1167°W / 51.5143; -0.1167 (Baby Tembo)
2002Derrick Stephan HudsonSculpturePart of the Odette bequest.[33] This work and Yolanda vanderGaast's Penguin were formerly sited on Clare Market as the LSE crèche was at that time located at the top of the street, and it was thought that these sculptures might appeal to children.[3]
Three FatesClement's Inn, opposite Pethick-Lawrence House (London School of Economics)

51°30′49″N 0°06′54″W / 51.5137°N 0.1149°W / 51.5137; -0.1149 (Three Fates)
2003Morton KatzSculpturePart of the Odette bequest.[3]
EquusJohn Watkins Plaza, outside the British Library of Political and Economic Science

51°30′52″N 0°06′58″W / 51.5145°N 0.1160°W / 51.5145; -0.1160 (Equus)
2003Edwina SandysSculpturePart of the Odette bequest. A bronze copy of a smaller marble original of 1977, produced during the artist's "Stone Age" period.[34]
BluerainLionel Robbins Building (London School of Economics), Portugal Street2009Michael Brown[35]

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PenguinJohn Watkins Plaza (London School of Economics)

51°30′52″N 0°07′00″W / 51.5144°N 0.1168°W / 51.5144; -0.1168 (Penguin)
2009Yolanda vanderGaastSculpturePart of the Odette bequest. VanderGaast's original Penguin of 2002[3] stood in Clare Market from 2005. In 2009 it was stolen; the thieves left only the flippers behind.[36] A replacement statue was installed that year; in 2015 it moved to its current site.[37]
Final SaleHoughton Street, Old Building (London School of Economics)2015Recycle Group (Andrey Blokhin and Georgy Kuznetsov)Relief[24][38]

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The World Turned Upside DownSheffield Street, outside the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre (London School of Economics)2019Mark WallingerSculptureUnveiled 26 March 2019.[39]

References

Bibliography

  • Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003). London 6: Westminster. The Buildings of England. London and New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09595-1.
  • Hibbert, Christopher; Weinreb, Ben; Keay, Julia; Keay, John (2008). The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1405049245.
  • Seebohm, Caroline (2011). Edwina Sandys: Art. New York: Glitterati Incorporated. ISBN 978-0982379998.
  • Ward-Jackson, Philip (2003). Public Sculpture of the City of London. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 7. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-977-0.
  • ——— (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 14. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-84631-691-3.