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Trafalgar Square, London |
This post takes a look at some of the statues in London that commemorate Georgian royalty and other prominent figures. It is by no means an exhaustive list and no doubt I will discover more in the future.
George III and George IV
Let us start with royalty. There are impressive equestrian statues in London of both George III (1738-1820) and George IV (1762-1830) situated within a short distance of each other. George III, by the sculptor Matthew Cotes Wyatt, is on Cockspur Street—a two minute walk away from Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey’s statue in Trafalgar Square, where George IV sits astride his horse in front of the National Gallery.
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Equestrian statue of George III, Cockspur Street, London |
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Equestrian statue of George III, Cockspur Street, London |
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Equestrian statue of George IV, Trafalgar Square, London |
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Detail from equestrian statue of George IV, Trafalgar Square, London |
At the top of his column in Trafalgar Square is the famous naval hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805). But perhaps lesser known is the Duke of York column, just off The Mall, supporting a statue of Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827), George III’s second son, who was Commander in Chief of the British Army 1795-1809 and 1811-1827.
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Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London |
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Statue of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson on Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London |
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Duke of York Column, The Mall, London |
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Statue of Frederick, Duke of York, on Duke of York Column, The Mall, London |
Appropriately, there is a statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first President of the Royal Academy, in the courtyard of Burlington House on Piccadilly, home to the Royal Academy since 1874.
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Statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London |
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Bust of JMW Turner, Piccadilly, London |
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Bust of Paul Sandby, Piccadilly, London |
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Bust of John Nash, outside All Souls Langham Place, London |
The statue of Beau Brummell (1778-1840) on Jermyn Street is relatively new—it was only erected in 2002. It seems a fitting site for Beau—looking down the Piccadilly Arcade with its superior shops selling everything for the gentleman of fashion, from made-to-measure suits and footwear to jewellery and grooming products.
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Statue of Beau Brummell, Jermyn Street, London |
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Statue of Beau Brummell, Jermyn Street, London |
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Statue of Beau Brummell, Jermyn Street, London |
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Statue of Beau Brummell, Jermyn Street, London |
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Statue of Beau Brummell, Jermyn Street, London |
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Statue of Lord Byron, Park Lane, London |
Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher. He wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776—it was still on the reading list when I studied economics at university! You can find his statue on the rear of Burlington House.
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Statue of Adam Smith, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London |
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Statue of Captain James Cook, The Mall, London |
An equestrian statue of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), military hero of the Battle of Waterloo and British Prime Minister stands on Threadneedle Street, outside the Bank of England.
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Equestrian statue of 1st Duke of Wellington, Threadneedle Street, London |
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Equestrian statue of 1st Duke of Wellington, Threadneedle Street, London |
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George Canning, Parliament Square, London |
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Sir Robert Peel, Parliament Square, London |
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Statue of Charles James Fox, Bloomsbury Square, London |
Thomas Coram (1668-1751) set up the Foundling Hospital in 1741. His statue is outside the Foundling Museum on Brunswick Square, London.
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Statue of Thomas Coram, Brunswick Square, London |
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Statue of John Wesley, outside St Paul's Cathedral, London |
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