Erection date: 10/4/1979
{On the old stone integrated into the new plinth at a slant:}
Here William Booth commenced the work of the Salvation Army, July 1865.
{On the metal plaque laid into the plinth:}
This statue was unveiled by General Arnold Brown, LHD, on 10th April 1979, in which year the 150th birthday of William Booth was internationally celebrated.
This is a fibreglass copy of the statue on Denmark Hill.
Site: Catherine + William Booth statues - Mile End (2 memorials)
E1, Mile End Road
When we first visited in 2014 William's statue was looking very pale - showing its fibreglass material. In 2017 it had been re-bronzed and was looking good. Only in the base, where the bronze covering had been scraped, could you see the underlying whiteness. We gave Catherine's statue a rap with our knuckles and that also sounded non-metallic.
These are both copies of the statues erected in 1929 in Denmark Hill. From Victorian Web: "matching pair of monuments ... in front of the William Booth Memorial Training College, Champion Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5. Both figures are shown during prayer meetings in their Salvation Army uniforms. Catherine Booth wears the famous Salvation Army bonnet and holds a Bible to her heart while preaching earnestly."
