Statue

V&A façade - Thorpe

Erection date: 1909

Inscription

John Thorpe

Site: Victoria & Albert Museum façade (38 memorials)

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 Cromwell Road. This building was designed by Aston Webb and built 1899-1909. Each statue has the subject's name on a label beneath the feet and the sculptor's name inscribed in the wall of the niche to the right of the statue. Starting in Cromwell Road and reading right to left:

Group of 6 British architects:
Chas. Barry
W. Chambers
Chrisr. Wren
Inigo Jones
John Thorpe
Wykeham

Group of 5 British painters:
J. E. Millais
Ld. Leighton
G. F. Watts
J. Constable
J. M. W. Turner

And flanking the entrance:
Queen Alexandra (to the right)
King Edward VII (to the left)

Albert (below the arch)
Victoria (in the arch)

On either side of the arch, at eye level there is a foundation stone:
Stone laid by Edward VII (to the right)
Stone laid by Victoria (to the left)

Group of 5 British painters:
R. Cosway
G. Romney
T. Gainsborough
J. Reynolds
W. Hogarth

Group of 6 British sculptors:
Alfred Stevens
John H. Foley
F. L. Chantrey
John Flaxman
John Bacon
Grinlg. Gibbons

And around the corner in Exhibition Road:

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
William Morris
Roger Payne
J. Wedgwood
T. Chippendale
Thos. Tompion

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
Huntingn. Shaw
George Heriot
William Caxton
William Torel
St. Dunstan

Note that there are more Johns than women but that's not difficult since, excluding royalty, there are no women!

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Thorpe

Subjects commemorated i

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Thorpe

Created by i

John Wenlock Rollins

Sculptor whose London works include: the wonderful bronze doorway of the P&a...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Thorpe

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

King Edward VII statue - NW3

King Edward VII statue - NW3

NW3, Frognal, University College School

A 1908 article in the New York Times nicely describes the king as being in "infinite toggery" and suggests the statue was unveiled in lat...

1 subject commemorated
Edward VII

Edward VII

WC1, High Holborn, 114 - 115, Kingsgate House

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

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Imperial Hotel - statue 05

Imperial Hotel - statue 05

WC1, Russell Square

On this site there used to be a sister hotel to Hotel Russell, also designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll and erected in 1898. It was demolish...

1 creator
Epstein at TUC

Epstein at TUC

WC1, Great Russell Street, Congress House

This sculpture was commissioned for the building as a war memorial commemorating the sacrifices of trade unionists in the two world wars....

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
George II statue in Golden Square

George II statue in Golden Square

W1, Golden Square

Erected here in 1753. Previously it was at Cannons, the Duke of Chandos's house. It is said to have been made in 1724 but that seems late...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators