More memorials and statuary in the Square Mile

A large bronze figure on horseback mounted on a granite pedestal. It is the Duke of Wellington, and is situated in front of the Royal Exchange at the meeting point of Cornhill and Threadneedle Street opposite the Bank of England. Cast from the guns Wellington himself captured from the French. The sculpture was not erected to honour his wartime efforts but in recognition of the help he gave the City Corporation in getting a bill passed to allow the rebuilding of London Bridge. There is no saddle on the horse, and no boots or stirrups on the Duke. It was sculptured by Francis Chantrey and erected in 1844.

Situated at the entrance to the Royal Exchange, the memorial honours the London men who died in World War One. Designed by Aston Webb and sculpted by Alfred Drury, it’s stone column flanked by two life sized bronze soldiers. On top is a lion, and a shield showing Saint George and the dragon. The list of London battalions is inscribed upon it but sadly, does not mention the Kings Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade, who recruited mainly from London. Of the fifty two battalions of the Royal Fusiliers involved, it only lists four. It was erected in 1920.

This war memorial by R. R. Goulden can be found outside Saint Michael’s Church in Cornhill, just to the right of the entrance. It is a small bronze figure of a winged St. Michael holding a sword above his head. Four children are below on the left, and two what look to be Panthers are fighting on the right.
The bronze inscription attached to the stone pedestal records that 170 of the 2130 men that enrolled on that particular spot, lost their lives in World War One. In 1927 a replica was unveiled by Field-Marshall Lord Plumer at Neuve Chapelle.

James Henry Greathead (1844-1896). Inventor of the Greathead Tunneling Shield. Chief Engineer on the City and South London Railway (now the Northern line) which started at King William Street. The world's first electric railway, which opened in 1890. You can find this statue on a tall stone plinth in the middle of the road in Cornhill, next to the Royal Exchange.

The Golden Boy on Pye Corner, the junction of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane. Erected where the Great Fire of London was said to have stopped. Originally built into the front of The Fortune of War pub, demolished in 1910, It bears the inscription: "This boy is in Memory put up for the late Fire of LONDON Occasion'd by the Sin of Gluttony 1666".

This modern sculpture by Stephen Melton stands in Walbrook almost opposite Cannon Street Station. It shows a “Yuppie” trader conducting business on a cell phone. The plaque at his feet gives the information: “LIFFE Trader. Unveiled by Christine Mackenzie Cohen, Chairman of the trees, gardens and open spaces sub committee 1st October 1997”.

Sir John Soane (1777-1837) is the architect responsible for many great buildings in London, and his statue is housed in the wall of his most famous - The Bank of England. The great curtain wall built in 1835 still stands today surrounding the 5 acre site. You can find this statue at the rear of the bank next to Tivoli corner in Lothbury.

If you walk down Aldermanbury from Gresham Street you will come to Saint Mary’s Churchyard. There you will find the burial place of the two men who made Shakespeare famous, John Heminge and Henrie Condell, two actors and friends of Shakespeare. They were the ones who gathered his manuscripts together over a 35 year period. The monument, designed by C.C. Walker and sculpted by C. J. Allen was erected in 1896. It consists of a bust of the bard, an open book, and text on all four sides. I have supplied photos of the text along with the main image. The text will give the full story of the statue, and also save me typing it here!

You can find this statue in a small garden to the right of Saint Mary le Bow Church, in Cheapside (at the moment it is hidden from the main street by a hoarding). Captain John Smith was the famous adventurer saved from death by Pocahontas, with whom he returned to England.

This group of three ladies can be seen in Lombard Street. A work in bronze by F. W. Doyle-Jones, it depicts symbolically: The power of the sea on the left, Fire on the right, and a semi sphinx with wings in the centre representing the uncertainty of the future. They were over the door of the Royal Insurance Buildings.

Although not strictly a statue or sculpture I think this deserves a place here. I noticed it on the wall of a building while walking along Lombard Street and I assume that it marks the house where Thomas Gresham moved to with his wife. It is obviously Thomas Gresham’s family crest, the grasshopper, with the letters TG above it on the bracket of the sign. There is also a grasshopper over the door of the building, number 68 Lombard Street, now owned by Regus.