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Plans for the Week/ Instructions/ Groups

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Plans for the Week/ Instructions/ Groups

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ERASMUS MONUMENTS introduction to the week version 2

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Visitors can walk on rare coronation floor in socks

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Historic medieval flooring, at the exact spot where King Charles will be crowned inside Westminster Abbey, is going to be opened to visitors - as long as they take off their shoes.

Abbey authorities say this will be the first time in living memory that the public will have been able to walk across the "Cosmati pavement".

The mosaic is claimed as one of Britain's greatest medieval treasures.

But visitors will have to wear socks to protect the 13th Century surface.

At the centre of the medieval mosaic is a polished stone circle with a swirling pattern, surrounded by rings of designs in glass, marble and coloured stone, and this is where the coronation chair will be placed when King Charles is crowned on 6 May.

Since the 19th Century, the richly-decorated but rather battered floor had been covered up with carpets - including for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 - or roped off from public access.

But the intricate mosaic, claimed as the most important example of this style outside Italy, will be revealed for the coronation of King Charles, with the 700-year-old coronation chair being placed in the centre of the floor.

For 10 weeks after the coronation, from 15 May to 29 July, visitors will be able to walk across the Cosmati pavement and stand on the spot where centuries of royal coronations have taken place.

Standing in their socks - bare feet will not be allowed to avoid the floor getting "sticky" - visitors would be able to get the view that King Charles had, looking towards the high altar with the congregation and choir behind him.

The Abbey, expecting a high demand for this one-off experience, said the visits must be pre-booked, with people allowed on to the flooring in small groups, as part of a £15 guided tour.

But this week the site was also briefly occupied by anti-monarchy protesters, who walked on to the Cosmati pavement, wearing shoes, and held up a banner.

A spokesman for campaign group Republic, which has called for the abolition of the monarchy, criticised the coronation as a "pointless parade" that would shore up an "unelected head of state".

The medieval floor has had painstaking restoration work, taking off centuries of grime, but the Abbey's head conservator Vanessa Simeoni says much of the stone is original.

She said that working on the historic floor gives her a real sense of continuity with the original craft workers who laid the mosaic 750 years ago.

"It's absolutely amazing. I always feel a connection with the people who made these objects. They knew their materials, they knew their designs," says the conservator.

Working on the stones she says the conservators can see different techniques that were being tried by their medieval forebears, such as a way of waterproofing and keeping out the damp that the Italians working in London had developed.

The floor, named after the Italian craftsmen who created it, was commissioned by Henry III and completed in 1268. It's a square of about 7.5 metres, with a design of interlocking patterns, using inlaid stones, such as purple-coloured porphyry and yellow limestone.

When it was first laid, the marble, glass and coloured stones would have been highly polished, so that the floor would have shimmered in the candlelight.

Ms Simeoni said that as well as Italian and local English materials, the floor includes stones from Egypt, Greece and Turkey.

Many of the pieces of stone and marble used in the floor were taken from Roman ruins and recycled by Italian craftsmen who brought them to Britain, she added.

It means that the coronations of monarchs in Westminster Abbey have taken place for centuries on a surface built from the fragments of an even older Roman Empire.

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Visitors can walk on rare coronation floor in socks

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Historic medieval flooring, at the exact spot where King Charles will be crowned inside Westminster Abbey, is going to be opened to visitors - as long as they take off their shoes. Abbey authorities say this will be the first time in living memory that the public will have been able to walk across the "Cosmati pavement".

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Historic statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett unveiled in Parliament Square

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Read this about the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square 2018

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Millicent Fawcett, created by Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing, is the first-ever statue in Parliament Square of a woman

Statue unveiled in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Theresa May, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, campaigner Caroline Criado Perez and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

A statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett has been unveiled in Parliament Square in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and the Mayor of London today (24 April 2018).

Following Caroline Criado Perez's campaign, the Mayor of London commissioned Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing OBE to create the statue. It is funded through the government's £5 million Centenary Fund and is the first-ever monument of a woman, and the first created by a woman, to stand within the square.

Marking 100 years since some women won the right to vote, the statue was unveiled by 3 generations of women - Jennifer Loehnis, a descendant of Millicent Fawcett; campaigner and activist Caroline Criado Perez; Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons; and 2 schoolgirls, from Millbank Academy in Westminster, and Platanos College, Lambeth.

Prime Minister, Theresa May, said:

I would not be here today as Prime Minister, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett.

The struggle to achieve votes for women was long and arduous and Dame Millicent was there from the beginning. For decade after decade, in the face of often fierce opposition, she travelled the country and the world, campaigning not just for the vote but on a whole range of issues.

I want to thank Gillian Wearing for creating a beautiful and fitting tribute to Dame Millicent and to everyone involved in making this happen.

For generations to come, this statue will serve not just as a reminder of Dame Millicent's extraordinary life and legacy, but as inspiration to all of us who wish to follow in her footsteps.

Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, said:

Today's unveiling is a landmark moment, a celebration of the legacy of the women that fought tirelessly for equal rights and transformed our nation for the better.

The statue of Millicent Fawcett, now facing Parliament, will remind us all of how we must keep up the fight against inequality and injustice in everything we do.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

Today is an historic day. Finally, Parliament Square is no longer a male-only zone for statues. From the very first week of my Mayoralty, I supported Caroline Criado Perez's campaign to put up a statue of a woman in Parliament Square, and I'm so proud that the day of its unveiling is now upon us.

This statue of Millicent Fawcett, the great suffragist leader, will stand near Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela - 2 other heroic leaders who campaigned for change and equality. There couldn't be a better place to mark the achievements of Millicent Fawcett, in the heart of UK democracy in Parliament Square.

I hope this statue sparks further change across society - driving forward gender equality and inspiring women and girls across the capital and the UK. My huge thanks to Caroline, for her passionate campaigning and to Gillian Wearing - who has brought Millicent Fawcett and her legacy to life through this magnificent work.

Caroline Criado Perez also spoke at the ceremony, talking about her campaign for the statue, which included a change.org petition signed by almost 85,000 people. Following the endorsement of the campaign from both the Prime Minister and the Mayor, the Suffrage Statue Commission selected Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing to create a statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett.

Artist, Gillian Wearing OBE, said:

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked on this sculpture and plinth. It was so heart-warming to see the care and attention that went into the work. I can only say I am truly grateful.

I hope those viewing the work will be able to appreciate this along with being able to celebrate Millicent Fawcett along with all the other suffrage supporters and activists also honoured.

Campaigner, Caroline Criado Perez OBE, said:

When I went for a run in Parliament Square two years ago and first noticed that all the statues there were of men I could never have imagined quite how perfectly the dream would eventually be realised.

Gillian Wearing's design is everything I could ever have wanted - and more - for the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square.

I'm so grateful to everyone who worked so hard on this campaign to make this happen. It's been a brilliant team effort, and one I'm so proud to have played a part in.

The statue unveiling is one of the many events taking place this year to celebrate the centenary year of suffrage. The Government Equalities Office has allocated £5 million to mark the centenary of voting rights for women in 2018. This fund will support projects that raise awareness of this crucial milestone, educate young people about its significance, and inspire people to build a diverse political system that reflects the nation it serves.

So far, over £600,000 has been awarded from the Women's Votes Centenary Grant Scheme to standout schemes across the country, including projects that train women to become leaders in their communities, and events that celebrate the lives of prominent suffragettes.

The unveiling of the Millicent Fawcett statue is a major event in the Mayor of London's #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, which celebrates the role of women in the capital. Alongside Fawcett, the names and portraits of 59 women and men who campaigned for women's suffrage are inscribed on the plinth.

The unveiling ceremony was presented by BBC broadcaster Mishal Husain and featured poet Theresa Lola, performances from the cast of Sylvia and the Suffragist Singers and an adaptation of Millicent Fawcett's 1918 Victory Speech* by award-winning actress, Helen McCrory OBE.

The statue was commissioned by the Mayor of London with 14-18 NOW, Firstsite and Iniva to commemorate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, through the government's national centenary fund.

To mark the day of the statue unveiling, Google Arts & Culture is collaborating with its creator, the artist Gillian Wearing and the Mayor of London to show the spirit and stories of the suffrage campaigners on a new online platform at g.co/roadtoequality.

Further information

*Adapted for a transcript of Millicent Fawcett's Victory speech in March 1918 published in The Common Cause (Newspaper first published in 1909, that supported the policies of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, "the organ of the women's movement for reform'.) Looking Backwards, by Mrs. Henry Fawcett

Previous press releases

Background on government's centenary fund

In 2017, the government announced a £5 million Centenary fund to coincide with International Women's Day.

To date, £1.2 million has been awarded to 7 Centenary Cities and towns in England with a strong suffrage history to help inspire a new generation with the legacy of women's campaign for equal representation. Manchester has chosen to spend a portion of their funding to commemorate Emmeline Pankhurst, as only the second woman alongside Queen Victoria, to be represented with a statue in the city. The 7 Centenary Cities are Bolton, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, and Nottingham.

In February, the Minister for Women and Equalities Amber Rudd announced £1.5 million would make up a Women's Suffrage Centenary Grant Scheme for bids of up to £125,000 for projects running throughout the centenary year to encourage communities to celebrate and to help make modern politics more accessible. Over 600,000 has been awarded to stand out scheme across the country including projects that train women to become leaders in their communities, and events that celebrate the lives of prominent suffragettes.

A new Celebrating Votes for Women web page will help people find out more about getting involved in centenary events through the year. The page includes links to information about the history of the suffrage movement and details of how to apply for a grant, as well as an events hub to show what is happening across the country.

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Historic statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett unveiled in Parliament Square

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Millicent Fawcett, created by Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing, is the first-ever statue in Parliament Square of a woman Statue unveiled in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Theresa May, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, campaigner Caroline Criado Perez and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan A statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett has been unveiled in Parliament Square in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and the Mayor of London today (24 April 2018).

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Test yourself using this quiz on the statues on Parliament Square

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Use this interactive map of the statues on Parliament Square

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The Metropolitan Police has added Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to a list of 10 "contentious" monuments because of their links to war, imperialism or slavery.

The notes on Churchill's entry on the list state: "He referred to Indians as 'a beastly people with a beastly religion' and Palestinians as 'barbaric hordes'."

The list was revealed in a report by think tank Policy Exchange suggesting MPs, peers and journalists are increasingly being assaulted by protesters in the vicinity of parliament.

"The notes on some of the subjects of the 'contentious statues' are often selective or slanted," the report said. "This may, to be fair, be intended to reflect the reasons why they could be attacked by protesters rather than the force's actual view."

Under the notes on Oliver Cromwell's statue, the Met wrote: "He is considered controversial due to his involvement in the execution of King Charles I and atrocities committed against Catholics in Ireland."

The notes on Gandhi say: "Social media indicates there is controversy regarding some of Gandhi's remarks. He referred to black South Africans as 'kaffirs' [infidels] and stated that Indians were 'infinitely superior' to them."

Speaking to TalkTV's Mike Graham, report author and journalist Andrew Gilligan said: "I'm not sure there's much we can do about the kind of rubbish that gets talked about on social media.

"We have to start teaching people, and maybe children in schools, to think about the stuff that they read. We need to teach children to be resilient to it."

Mike said the list was a product of the "left" at work: "You can't go, 'Well, that's obviously what happened, all these people died, it must be his fault over there.' That's not how it works."

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Winston Churchill's statue 'contentious' due to his 'beastly' comments | TalkTV

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The Metropolitan Police has added Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to a list of 10 "contentious" monuments because of their links to war, imperialism or slavery. The notes on Churchill's entry on the list state: "He referred to Indians as 'a beastly people with a beastly religion' and Palestinians as 'barbaric hordes'."

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Read this, but don't take all of it as fact

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Read this, but don't take all of it as fact

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Parliament Square in 2023

Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contains twelve statues of statesmen and other notable individuals.

As well as being one of London's main tourist attractions, it is also the place where many demonstrations and protests have been held. The square is overlooked by various official buildings: legislature to the east (in the Houses of Parliament), governmental executive offices to the north (on Whitehall), the judiciary to the west (the Supreme Court), and the church to the south (with Westminster Abbey).

Buildings looking upon the square include the churches Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's, Westminster, the Middlesex Guildhall which is the seat of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Government Offices Great George Street serving HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, and Portcullis House.

Roads that branch off the Parliament Square are St Margaret Street (towards Millbank), Broad Sanctuary (towards Victoria Street), Great George Street (towards Birdcage Walk), Parliament Street (leading into Whitehall) and Bridge Street (leading onto Westminster Bridge).

Streets around Parliament Square in 1888

1949 proposed layout of Parliament Square with the former location of Buxton Memorial Fountain marked in red.

Original layout

Parliament Square was laid out in 1868 in order to open up the space around the Palace of Westminster and improve traffic flow, and featured London's first traffic signals. A substantial amount of property had to be cleared from the site. The architect responsible was Sir Charles Barry. Its original features included the Buxton Memorial Fountain, which was removed in 1949 and placed in its present position in nearby Victoria Tower Gardens in 1957.

Post Second World War changes

The plans to redesign the Square predated the Second World War as the Ministry of Transport suggested:

that a larger central island was necessary to allow traffic more room in Great George Street. If the northern side of the central island were lengthened it was expected that the frequent traffic blocks at the junction of Parliament Street and Bridge Street with Parliament Square would be greatly reduced.

Following the war, London County Council submitted a revised plan that was agreed to by the Ministry of Transport and legislated for by Parliament with the Parliament Square (Improvements) Act 1949. A Bill was required due to the mixed ownership of the land. The redesign included putting new roads, pavement and gardens in the area.

One issue in the redesign process was that the widening of St George Street and movement of an existing road meant the Buxton Memorial Fountain had to be removed. Due to the unpopularity of Victorian style architecture at the time, some in Parliament argued it should never be re-erected, with at least one Parliamentarian saying that it had "no artistic merit whatever" The Act provided that the fountain could be removed, but required its re-erection.

The central garden of the square was transferred from the Parliamentary Estate to the control of the Greater London Authority by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It has responsibility to light, cleanse, water, pave, and repair the garden, and has powers to make bylaws for the garden.

The east side of the square, lying opposite one of the key entrances to the Palace of Westminster, has historically been a common site of protest against government action or inaction. On May Day 2000 the square was transformed into a giant allotment by a Reclaim the Streets guerrilla gardening action. Most recently, Brian Haw staged a continual protest there for several years, campaigning against British and American action in Iraq. Starting on 2 June 2001, Haw left his post only once, on 10 May 2004 - and then because he had been arrested on the charge of failing to leave the area during a security alert, and returned the following day when he was released. The disruption that Haw's protest is alleged to have caused led Parliament to insert a clause into the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 making it illegal to have protests in Parliament Square (or, indeed, in a large area reaching roughly half a mile in all directions) without first seeking the permission of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

The provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act relating to Parliament Square were repealed by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, which provides for a different regime of "prohibited activities".

As well as sparking a great deal of protest from various groups on the grounds of infringement of civil liberties including the European Convention on Human Rights, the Act was initially unsuccessful in accomplishing its goals: Brian Haw was held to be exempt from needing authorisation in a High Court ruling, as his protest had started before the Act came into effect (though any new protests would be covered); Haw remained in Parliament Square. Later, the Court of Appeal overturned this ruling, forcing Haw to apply for police authorisation to continue his protest.

The square is home to twelve statues of British, Commonwealth, and Anglosphere political figures. They are listed here in anti-clockwise order, beginning with Winston Churchill's statue, which faces Parliament.

Image

Subject

Location

Sculptor

Date of unveiling

Notes

Listing

Northern edge of the green

Glynn Williams

25 November 2007

Unveiled by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Stands on a plinth of slate from Penrhyn Quarry, North Wales.[6]

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

July 1920

A recasting of the statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago. This statue was unveiled by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, after being ceremonially presented by the American ambassador and accepted by Prime Minister David Lloyd George. Initially the statue was to be erected in 1914, but this was postponed. By that time some favoured an alternative statue by George Grey Barnard, which was eventually erected in Manchester.[13]

Grade II

Millicent Fawcett
Campaigner for women's suffrage

Gillian Wearing

24 April 2018

Erected in conjunction with the centenary of women being granted the vote in the UK, following a campaign led by Caroline Criado-Perez, this is the first statue of a woman to be included in Parliament Square.[16] It is by Gillian Wearing, making her the first woman to create a statue that stands in Parliament Square. Dame Millicent was a prominent leader during the campaign for women's suffrage, serving as president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies for more than twenty years, as well as co-founding Newnham College, Cambridge. This statue depicts her as a 50-year-old, the age at which she became president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. The banner her statue holds reads: "Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere", an extract from a speech she made after the death of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison.

The Parliament Square Peace Campaign was a peace campaign started by Brian Haw in 2001 and carried on by Barbara Tucker until 2013.

In May 2010, a peace camp known as Democracy Village was set up on the square to protest (initially) against the British government's involvement in invasions in the Middle East, which became an eclectic movement encompassing left-wing causes and anti-globalisation protests.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson appealed to the courts to have them removed and, after demonstrators lost an appeal in July 2010, Lord Neuberger ruled that the protesters camping on the square should be evicted. The final tents were removed in January 2012.

Bibliography

Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

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Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contains twelve statues of statesmen and other notable individuals.

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Parliament Square is a green space which sits opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. It is known as a meeting place for protest and celebration. Parliament Square is also the home to a number of notable statues of political figures.

The statues of Parliament Square can often go unremarked. However they represent a microcosm of the history of Britain. Those whose images have been depicted are who the British state have deemed to be particularly noteworthy. They are, after all, positioned directly in front of parliament itself.

Historical Figures on Parliament Square

Grand figures include no less than seven former British prime ministers. These are David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Peel, Henry John Temple (3rd Viscount Palmerston), Edward Stanley (14th Earl of Derby), George Canning and Benjamin Disraeli (1st Earl of Beaconsfield). There is also a statue of American President Abraham Lincoln and two South African leaders in Nelson Mandela and Jan Christian Smuts. Mandela was also the first black person to be represented on the square. A campaigner against apartheid, he become President of South Africa in 1994.

The final two statues are of also of campaigners. Indeed that are known primarily as people who campaigned against the British establishment A statue of Millicent Garrett Fawcett was positioned in 2018. A notable figure in the long fight for women's suffrage, she is the first and so far only female represented in the square. Fawcett was a key figure in establishing the vote for women which was bitterly opposed for years. Mahatma Ghandi meanwhile was a campaigner against colonial rule in India. His non violent resistance finally resulted in Indian independence from Britain.

History of the Statues

The statues only occupy two sides of the square. The sides immediately closest to the Houses of Parliament and the side adjacent to Westminster Abbey have none. Two of the statues, Abraham Lincoln and George Canning, are actually on a piece of land called Canning Green. This is separated from the main square by the road.

The square itself is part of the Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square conservation area. In 1996 it then became a Grade II listed garden of Special Historical Interest. The statues themselves are a mixture of listed and unlisted. They also date from a number of distinct periods and have a number of different styles. The first statue, that of George Canning is the oldest. First unveiled in 1832 it once stood in Palace Yard only moving to the square in 1867. Canning's statue was the first to be added to the square.

Adding Statues to the Square

The statues of Edward Stanley, Viscount Palmerston, Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Robert Peel were added between 1874 and 1883. There were no further unveiling's until 1920 when Abraham Lincoln was added. His was also the first non-British person to have a statue in the square. Jan Christian Smuts was next in 1956, himself a South African and a man who was also a field marshall. Then in 1973 the striking sculpture of Winston Churchill was unveiled closest to the Houses of Parliament. There was a large gap and then in 2007 two statues in the form of David Lloyd George and Nelson Mandela were revealed. Mahatma Ghandi was added in 2015 and Millicent Garrett Fawcett in 2018.

Mapping the Statues

This guide to the statues of Parliament Square details some of the key information about each one. The list below is in order of placement. Starting with Winston Churchill because his is the nearest to the Houses of Parliament. We then work around the square towards Nelson Mandela's before crossing the road to Canning Green and taking in the final two of Abraham Lincoln and George Canning.

Winston Churchill - Prime Minister (1874 - 1965)

Unveiled on 14 November 1973 the statue of Winston Churchill is possibly Parliament Square's most photographed statue. He is shown in his naval overcoat holding a cane and placed on an 8ft white stone plinth. Churchill is arguably Britain's most famous Prime Minister. A wartime leader, he led the country during World War II, ultimately working with allies to defeat Nazi Germany. He actually held the office of Prime Minister twice. First from 1940 - 1945 and then from 1951 to 1955.

The statue itself was created by British sculptor Ivor Robert-Jones and cast in bronze. It is still considered to be Robert-Jones most significant work. Indeed this was one of the reasons given for the statues classification as Grade II listed in 2008. It's location in Parliament Square has much to do with Churchill himself. When Prime Minster, on being shown redevelopment plans for the square, he circled the spot and said "this is where my statue will go".

Unveiled by his widow Clementine Churchill, the ceremony was also attended by the Queen and then Prime Minister Edward Heath. The statue has since become synonymous with protest and events on the square. As a result it has often been defaced. A combination perhaps of Churchill's recognisable figure and it's position at the head of the square.

David Lloyd George - Prime Minister (1865 - 1945)

Liberal Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922 he led the country during the first world war. Succeeding Herbert Asquith in 1916, he has been the Secretary of State for War beforehand. Having before that served as Minister of Munitions and Chancellor in the wartime cabinet. Following the war, Lloyd George played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Versailles. It was under Lloyd George's government that voting was also extended to women for the first time in 1918.

The statue of David Lloyd George in Parliament Square was unveiled in 2007 by Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall. The choice of Charles as the Prince of Wales was fitting due to Lloyd George being the first and so far only Welsh prime minister. Indeed English was only his second language. The sculptor was Welsh artist Glynn Williams it is bronze and stands on a plinth of granite from Penrhyn Quarry in North Wales.

Jan Christian Smuts - Prime Minister of South Africa (1870 - 1950)

Prime Minister of South Africa first between 1919 and 1924 then from 1939 to 1948. The statue of Jan Christian Smuts was the first erected to a statesmen from a Commonwealth country. A contemporary of Winston Churchill, he was someone Churchill very much admired. When Smuts died in 1950, it was Churchill who proposed erecting a monument to him in Parliament Square a year later. Churchill himself having just won re-election as Prime Minister in 1951. The statue was eventually unveiled on 7 November 1956. Churchill himself was too ill by this point to unveil it himself. That honour was given to the Speaker of the House, Herbert Morrison.

Smuts holds a unique distinction as being the only person to have signed peace treaties reached after both the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Visiting Britain in 1917 he was invited to join David Lloyd George's wartime cabinet. At the end of that war he also played a key role in the founding of the League of Nations. The statue to Jan Christian Smuts was Grade II listed along with a number of others in 1970. It was created by the sculptor Jacob Epstein.

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston - Prime Minister (1784 - 1865)

Serving twice as Prime Minister, Henry John Temple is better known now as Viscount Palmerston. First holding office between 1855 and 1858 as a Whig and then between 1859 and 1865 as a Liberal. He died whilst in office and was replaced with John Russell who was also known as the 1st Earl Russell. Now known for being both the first Liberal Prime Minister and for being the oldest person ever to become Prime Minister. He was 70 when he first ascended to the position in 1855.

In total Temple served in parliament for 46 years. Inheriting his peerage at the age of only 17 he became the 3rd Viscount Palmerston. From the age of 22 he took his inherited seat in the House of Commons and serving almost continuously until his death in 1865. The statue of Palmerston in Parliament Square was placed in 1876 and sculpted by Thomas Woolner. It is bronze with a base of Westmoreland Granite.

Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby - Prime Minister (1799 - 1869)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom no less than three times. First in 1852, then between 1858-59 and finally between 1866-68. When in power he was perhaps best known for passing the 1867 Reform Act. This helped to create a step towards greater enfranchisement on the road to full democracy. Edward Stanley is these days better known as 'Derby' or the 'Earl of Derby'. Indeed on his plinth in the square the engraving simply reads ' 1799 Derby 1869'. He was officially the 14th Earl of Derby, an inherited title passed on from his father Edward Stanley.

Unveiled on 11 July 1874 it is the second oldest statue in the square. Then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who would himself later have his own likeness placed nearby, unveiled the statue. The statue itself was made by Matthew Noble, a notable sculptor of the time. Made of bronze it stands on a granite base. It also contains a number of bronze bas-reliefs showing scenes from his life. It was listed as a Grade II statue in 1970.

Millicent Garrett Fawcett - Suffragist (1847 -1929)

Known for her campaign for Women's suffrage. Millicent Garrett Fawcett is the first woman honoured with a statue in Parliament Square. She led the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919. Her work was fundamental in advancing the case for female suffrage. Something that finally happened in 1918.

Her statue was created by artist Gillian Wearing and unveiled on the 100 years anniversary of the passing of the representation of the peoples act. It was revealed by a group of local school children in the presence of Theresa May, by this time the second female Prime Minister of the UK. The statue was commissioned following a campaign by Caroline Criado Perez, the British author and journalist. Bronze on a base of granite, the statue also includes the images of 59 other suffragist campaigners. These are included around the top of pedestal.

Benjamin Disraeli (1st Earl of Beaconsfield) - Prime Minister (1804 - 1881)

The 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli twice served as British Prime Minister for the Conservative party. His first stint was in 1868 not quite lasting the year. His second lasted a little longer, from 1874 to 1880. Disraeli's peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield was created for him by Queen Victoria in 1876. As he died without heirs the peerage was not passed on and he remains the only person to hold the title.

Disraeli was a peer to a number of other notable figures depicted in Parliament Square namely Sir Robert Peel and Lord Derby (Edward Stanley). First elected to the Commons in 1837 as a Peelite, he fell out with Sir Robert after Peel failed to offer him a place in the cabinet. Never forgetting this, he clashed with Sir Robert Peel in the Commons over the Corn Laws. it was something that would lead to the resignation of Peel's government in 1846. For Lord Derby Disraeli would serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer on three occasions. Later in 1874 it would be Disraeli himself who would unveil Derby's statue on the square.

The statue of Benjamin Disraeli on Parliament Square was unveiled in 1883. By sculptor Mario Raggi it is cast in bronze and stands on a red granite plinth. It was grade II listed in 1970.

Robert Peel - Prime Minister (1788 - 1850)

Twice serving as Prime Minister first between 1834 and 1835 and then between 1841 and 1846 he was a Conservative politician. Today he is widely known for the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service which as Home Secretary he created in 1829. The name ' Bobby ' often used as a term of affection for police officers dates back to Robert Peel. As Prime Minister Peel passed legislation which paved the way for some important first steps in workplace reform. The Mines Act 1842 banned women and children from working underground. The Factory Act 1844 limited the amount of working hours for women and children in factories.

The statue of Robert Peel in Parliament Square was created by Matthew Noble and was the fourth statue to occupy the square. It is bronze and sits on a base of polished red granite. First unveiled in December 1876, it was Grade II listed in 1970.

Mahatma Gandhi - Campaigner for Indian Independence (1869 -1948)

A campaigner for Indian Independence. Mahatma Gandhi promoted a brand of non-violent resistance which ultimately led to independence in 1947. He is the first Indian citizen to be honoured with a statue in the square. Prior to his campaign he worked as a lawyer in South Africa and also also lived in London for three years. He was assassinated in 1948.

The statue in Parliament Square was announced by George Osborne during a visit to India in 2014. it was meant to be a "lasting and fitting tribute to his legacy in Britain". It was also planned as being a permanent and lasting monument to the UK's friendship with India. The unveiling in 2015 marked 100 years since Gandhi left South Africa to start his campaign for Independence. It was designed by British sculptor Phillip Jackson and unveiled by Shri Arun Jaitley the Indian Finance Minister.

Nelson Mandela - President of South Africa (1918 - 2013)

South African President between 1994 to 1999 he was the first person to hold the position. A campaigner against apartheid he had previously spent 27 years as a political prisoner only released in 1990. His campaigns to end apartheid ultimately resulted in his 1994 election win. He is known to many as Madiba and considered to be the Father of the Nation of South Africa.

The second South African to have a statue in Parliament Square. Originally it was due for Trafalgar Square but was moved following an appeal. It was unveiled on 29 August 2007. The sculptor was Ian Walters. A campaign to have a statue to Mandela was originally launched by Donald Woods, the South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist. Upon Woods death, the campaign was carried on by his widow and David Attenborough. The statue was unveiled by Nelson Mandela himself. The statue remains as the only one in parliament square to have been erected whilst the recipient was still alive.

Abraham Lincoln - President of the United States (1809 - 1865)

President of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Abraham Lincoln was the first non-British person to be celebrated with a statue in Parliament Square. He is particularly well known for his Emancipation Proclamation which essentially freed more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans. He was assassinated on 14 April 1865 whilst watching a play at the theatre.

His statue in Parliament Square actually sits on the strip of land called Canning Green and is placed in front of the Supreme Court. Created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens it is called 'Standing Lincoln'. It is actually a replica of a piece the sculptor made for Chicago's Lincoln Park and was unveiled on 28 July 1920. It's dedication however was originally meant for 1914. This was to celebrate the centenary of the time when Britain and the United States were last at war. Due to the outbreak of World War I however, this needed to be delayed. The statue itself was Grade II listed in 1970. It is made of bronze and stands on a granite pedestal.

George Canning - Prime Minister (1770 - 1827)

The first statue to be added to the square, George Canning's is also the oldest. First unveiled in 1832 it originally stood in Palace Yard. It was the statues move to Parliament Square in 1867 which began the square's collection of notable figures. Canning himself was a former Tory Prime Minister though only for five months. He took office on 10 April 1827 but died soon afterwards of pneumonia on 8 August 1827.

Prior to becoming Prime Minister he became foreign secretary in 1807 though resigned in 1809. This was after having a duel with a political rival, the War Minister Robert Stewart also known as the 2nd Viscount Castlereagh. Canning missed with his shot but Castlereagh hit him in the thigh. He became Foreign Secretary once more in 1822 actually replacing his old rival in the post following his death from suicide. Canning is the Prime Minister who has occupied the position for the shortest amount of time.

Timeline of the Parliament Square Statues

The statues of Parliament Square were visited on 26 December 2020. This is the first part of a series of longer articles on public sculpture. The second in the series focuses on Henry Moore who has a number of works nearby and across London. The third focuses on the nearby statues of Whitehall.

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The Statues of Parliament Square in London

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Parliament Square is a green space which sits opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. It is known as a meeting place for protest and celebration. Parliament Square is also the home to a number of notable statues of political figures. The statues of Parliament Square can often go unremarked.

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Statues of Wellington and Nelson may have to be destroyed under the plans. Picture: Alamy

Statues depicting old white men such as the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Lord Nelson may need to be destroyed, the Welsh government has said.

Monuments to "powerful, older, able-bodied white men" could also be hidden or moved elsewhere, guidance to Welsh local councils due to be finished this month says.

The "best practice" guidelines make the suggestions to "set the right historical narrative".

"Offensive or unwanted" names of streets and buildings could also be changed, the advice, seen by the Telegraph, tells local authorities.
Read more: Cenotaph, Churchill and Nelson: Secret Met police list of 'contentious' statues that could be attacked Read more: Thatcher statue vandalised with red paint and communist symbols weeks after egging
Ministers say that statues of some people from British history "can be offensive to people today who see them in a different light", including those who consider them "aggressors who conquered peoples to expand the British Empire".

Admiral Nelson. Picture: Alamy

The advice also notes that diversity is "hardly visible at all in public commemorations". Statues in Wales, it adds, give the "perception that the achievements that society considers noteworthy are those of powerful, older, able-bodied white men".

The guidelines, which are not mandatory, are being drawn up by Dawn Bowden, deputy minister for the arts, and have been subject to consultation.

They come after an "audit of commemoration" backed by the Welsh government following the Black Lives Matter protests.

The audit, which looked at hundreds of statues, monuments and place names across Wales, singled out Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley as someone who "committed crimes against black people".

Imperial military heroes Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, who both also have statues in Wales, were named as opposing the abolition of slavery.

Duke of Wellington statue in Brecon, Powys, South Wales,. Picture: Alamy

Nelson's relationship to slavery was complicated: he wrote a private letter denouncing "the damnable and cursed doctrine of [abolitionist] Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies", but also freed slaves while serving in the navy.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies branded the advice "Orwellian" and claimed that the Welsh government were "virtue-signalling".

He told the Telegraph: "Whether it is their erroneous misguidance for public bodies or their so-called 'Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan', Labour are intent on rewriting our history here in Wales.

"Labour have been captured by a hard-Left, anti-British mob who want nothing more than to topple our statues, tear up the works of classic authors and cancel our great orators, all in the name of virtue signalling.

Statue of Admiral Nelson on the shoreline of the Menai Strait close to the Britannia Bridge, North Wales. Picture: Alamy

"Statues may well offend some people, but that does not make them any less a part of Wales' rich history. What happened to remembering the mistakes of the past and learning the lessons?

"We should be punishing woke vandals for denigrating our history and damaging our monuments, not kowtowing to them by 'concealing statues' as this document suggests."

"Rest assured, I will be pushing hard against these Orwellian moves with Welsh Conservative colleagues, that are unfortunately becoming more and more common from the socialists in Cardiff Bay."

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Statues of 'older white men' like Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson may need to be destroyed, government says

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Statues depicting old white men such as the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Lord Nelson may need to be destroyed, the Welsh government has said. Monuments to "powerful, older, able-bodied white men" could also be hidden or moved elsewhere, guidance to Welsh local councils due to be finished this month says.

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Above the Abbey’s Great West Door stand ten statues to modern martyrs - Christians who gave up their lives for their beliefs.

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78. Statues: Parliament Square - The Rest Is History - Podcast

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Statues: Parliament SquareIn the final part of their epic trilogy, Tom and Dominic arrive at Parliament Square to explore the statues of world leaders including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and M... - Listen to 78. Statues: Parliament Square by The Rest Is History instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed.

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Bristol’s Colston statue on display again a year after being pulled down

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Refer to this: Introduction to the Project PowerPoint

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Refer to this: Introduction to the Project PowerPoint

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ERASMUS MONUMENTS introduction to the week

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Who was slave trader Edward Colston and why was his statue pulled down?