Statue

Duke of York's column

Erection date: 1833

Inscription

{On a plaque at eye level:}
Frederick Duke of York, 1763 - 1827, second son of George III, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, 1795 - 1809 and 1811 - 1827.

Bronze statue by Westmacott of "The Grand Old Duke of York" of nursery rhyme fame. Funds for the statue were raised by stopping one day's pay from every soldier in the late Duke's army.

Aberdeen granite column designed by Benjamin Wyatt is 123 feet high, with an interior stairway leading to the viewing platform which we believe is never open. 154 steps used to lead to a viewing platform which was closed after a rash of suicides in the 19th century. In Anthony Trollope's 1878 'Ayala's Angel' on page 307 one of Ayala's suitors declare "What I should like best would be to get Ayala on one side and Stubbs {another suitor} on the other, and then all three to go off the Duke of York's Column together."

Site: Duke of York's column (1 memorial)

SW1, Carlton House Terrace

Ian Visits has produced a splendid post on this one-time public observatory. Londonist reveals that this was the site of an early, 1848, lighting experiment.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Duke of York's column

Subjects commemorated i

King George III

Born in St James's Square (not the public garden, one of the houses, obviousl...

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Frederick, Duke of York

Born St James's Palace, the second and favourite son of George III. Card gamb...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Duke of York's column

Created by i

Sir Richard Westmacott

Sculptor. Born Grosvenor Square. One of the Commissioners for the Great Exhib...

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Benjamin Wyatt

Baptized at St Marylebone. Designed the Drury Lane Theatre. Died, unmarried...

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Nearby Memorials

Edward VII

Edward VII

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The sculptor's name is inscribed on the stone below the feet.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
V&A façade - Morris

V&A façade - Morris

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Westminster School - Queen Elizabeth I statue

Westminster School - Queen Elizabeth I statue

SW1, Dean's Yard, Westminster School

Brought to our attention by Londonist's rather tongue-in-cheek post, though we see what they mean about the Polo mint. The sculptor is an...

2 subjects commemorated, 3 creators
50 years of peace

50 years of peace

W1, New Bond Street

The two seated allies are unidentified at the site but with the assistance of our US consultant, Trevor Blake, we can confidently identif...

3 subjects commemorated, 4 creators
Frieze of Parnassus - Arne

Frieze of Parnassus - Arne

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, commissioned by Queen Victoria and designed by George Gilbert Scott, was built 1864-72, and the statue of Albert was instal...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator