Statue

Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Erection date: 1854

Have we correctly identified this king?

Site: Westminster Sanctuary (4 memorials)

SW1, Broad Sanctuary, The Sanctuary, 1-8 Broad Sanctuary

The building is Grade II listed, a terrace of Bath stone buildings incorporating gateway to Dean's Yard. 1853-54 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Some sources say these were built as houses which seems unlikely but they are certainly now used as offices.

Niches in the turrets, at first floor, house two very similar statues. The spandrels of the gateway are decorated with two roundels with portrait heads, one of which is crowned. These all seem to represent particular individuals but we can find no information, so we have to guess.

The statues are crowned and each clutches a model building, with slightly different fenestration. So we think they are the two kings central to the creation of Westminster Abbey: Edward the Confessor who, in 1042-52, (re)built St Peter's Abbey here, and Henry III who, in 1245, began the building of the current Abbey. Comparative beard lengths seem to corroborate our theory.

And the two heads must represent Victoria and Albert: the female wears a crown and the male doesn't, the date of the building, they even look like some of their portraits.

The memorial column in our photo is covered on its own page: Westminster School - old boys.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Subjects commemorated i

Edward the Confessor

King of England. Son of Ethelred the Unready. Born between 1003 and 1005 at I...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

6 Burlington Gardens - Adam Smith

6 Burlington Gardens - Adam Smith

W1, Burlington Gardens, 6

There are 22 statues on the façade of this building. Each is labelled with his (always 'his') surname. There are 12 at the top up against...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Chinese Polo Players

Chinese Polo Players

E16, Dockside Road

{On a nearby ornamental base:} 2012 London Polo. By Huang Jian, China China is the birthplace of ancient polo which was popular among roy...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Islington Library - Spenser

Islington Library - Spenser

N5, Holloway Road, Islington Central Library

Spenser to the left; Bacon to the right. The frieze announces proudly 'Islington Central Library'. Above the keystone of the porch the da...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Frieze of Parnassus - Barry

Frieze of Parnassus - Barry

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert's passions and i...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Churchill statue - Parliament Square

Churchill statue - Parliament Square

SW1, Parliament Square

12 foot high, bronze. Unveiled by Lady Churchill.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators