Statue of Queen Anne, Queen Anne's Gate
Queen Anne | |
---|---|
Artist | Unknown |
Year | c. 1705 |
Type | Statue |
Medium | Portland stone |
Subject | Anne, Queen of Great Britain |
Dimensions | 210 cm (83 in) |
Location | Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1, United Kingdom |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Statue of Queen Anne against north flank of No 15 Queen Anne's Gate |
Designated | 5 February 1970 |
Reference no. | 1227294[1] |
51°30′02″N 0°07′59″W / 51.500494°N 0.132942°W |
A Grade I-listed statue of Queen Anne stands on a pedestal alongside the north wall of No. 15 Queen Anne's Gate in Westminster, London.[1][2] It portrays the queen wearing a brocaded skirt and bodice and an open cloak[3] with the insignia of the Order of the Garter; on her head is a small crown and in her hands she holds an orb and sceptre.[4] The statue, carved from Portland stone, stands on a plinth of the same material with the inscription ANNA REGINA.[1] The pedestal consists of a fat "engaged" cylinder with a flat volute on either side, each with scrolls adorned with carved flowers and leaves. Neither the sculptor's identity nor the exact date of the work are known, but it is probably of the early eighteenth century.[5]
History
When Queen Anne's Gate was built by the banker
By 1862, the statue had lost its nose and right arm. The
The statue's poor condition was due in large part to the local children's mistaken belief that the statue represented the ill-reputed Queen Mary. They would ask "Bloody Queen Mary" to come down from her pedestal, and upon "receiving, naturally, no response, [they would] assail it with missiles".[6] Cowper recommended in 1862 that "if the name of Queen Anne be written in legible characters on the pedestal, their puerile outrage will not be repeated."[2] The inscription was therefore added by John Thomas as part of his restoration work.[5] Nonetheless the vandalism continued, and it was not until a generation later that the complaints ceased. Another legend concerning the statue holds that on 1 August, the anniversary of Queen Anne's death, the statue climbs down and walks three times up and down the street.[2]
The dividing wall between the two streets was demolished in 1873 to form the present Queen Anne's Square, and at that time the statue was removed to its present position.[7] It became the subject of a long-running dispute over ownership, as it was not brought into the care of the Office of Works when the Public Statues Act 1854 was enacted. The owner of 15 Queen Anne's Gate permitted the Office of Works to carry out repairs in 1862 but objected to its removal and did not transfer it into public ownership.[5]
In 1938, the house's then owner, E. Thornton Smith, carried out repairs at his own expense. He resolved the question of ongoing maintenance through his position as Master of the
See also
References
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Statue of Queen Anne against north flank of No 15 Queen Anne's Gate (1227294)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Blackwood, John (1989). London's Immortals: the complete outdoor commemorative statues. London: Savoy Press. p. 34.
- ^ "Westminster". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in London, Volume 2, West London. London. 1925. pp. 99–148. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ a b Cox, Montague H (1926). "Statue of Queen Anne". Survey of London: volume 10: St. Margaret, Westminster, part I: Queen Anne's Gate area. British History Online. p. 122. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. pp. 234–6.
- ^ a b Gomme, George Laurence (1910). Return of Outdoor Memorials in London: Other Than Statues on the Exterior of Buildings, Memorials in the Nature of Tombstones, Memorial Buildings and Memorial Trees. London County Council. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "Conservation Area Audit: Birdcage Walk" (PDF). Westminster City Council. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
External links
- Media related to Statue of Queen Anne, Queen Anne's Gate, London at Wikimedia Commons