Putting Men on a Pedestal

London England is a city full of monuments and memorials with statues of great men and women scattered all over he city.  Anyone who has been there knows about Admiral Horatio Nelson atop his tall pedestal in Trafalgar Square and you've probably seen some of the many tributes to Prince Albert.  Today I'm going to concentrate on some of the lesser known people who have warranted a statue dedicated to them.

Up first is Francis Duke of Bedford.  His statue has a prominent position in Russell Square, the park I posted about last week. His given name was Francis Russell and the park was named for him.  He was a politician and aristocrat who was responsible for much of the development of the Bloomsbury area of London.

Not far away is another fellow adorning a park.  Charles James Fox who has a commanding view over Bloomsbury Square was another politician who was also a good friend of the Duke of Bedford.  During his political life, he championed a range of liberal causes including American Independence.  Good for you Mr. Fox!

John Stuart Mill is almost hidden among the trees and shrubs in a small space at Victoria Embankment Gardens.  Mr. Mill was a British philosopher and political economist.  He was considered one of the most influential, 19th century thinkers of classical liberalism.  He was author of an early feminist work called "The Subjection of Women" and was the second member of Parliament to call for women's suffrage.

I'd say he's well deserving of his place on the pedestal.

This statue is of Prince Henry the Navigator, 1394-1460.  There is a bit of mystery about this statue which dates to 1915.  It was the first statue of a Portuguese person ever erected in London and apparently there is a duplicate of it in Fall River Massachusetts.  He was a central figure in European maritime discoveries and expansion.    He can be found hiding in the gardens of Belgrave Square.

Another resident of Belgrave Square is Elias George Basevi an English architect who worked in both neoclassical and gothic revival styles.  His designs included buildings in the Belgrave Square area which to this day is a very aristocratic place to live.  It is also home to a number of embassies.

William Edward Forster can be found standing proudly at Victoria Embankment Gardens.  He was another liberal politician who played a significant role in the establishment of a national education system.  He has a professorial look about him don't you think?

James Henry Greathead has the most precarious place to stand, in the middle of a very busy street in front of the Royal Exchange.  Mr. Greathead was an engineer who invented something called a traveling shield which made it possible to cut the tunnels needed to create London's deep level tube system.  Given the engineering feat of the London Underground, I'd say he's well deserving of a statue.


Of course this only touches the tip of the iceberg when it comes to statues scattered throughout the city of London.  I hope you enjoyed learning about these men as much as I enjoyed researching their accomplishments.