Erection date: 2/4/1967
Cunningham 1883 - 1963
Unveiled by Prince Philip in 1967. Inside the bust there is a ½ pint Guinness bottle and a note written by Belsky. The Guinness was, it is reported, drunk by the sculptor, Belsky and the architect, Bedford.
Site: Three busts (3 memorials)
WC2, Trafalgar Square
Left to right these busts are: Cunningham, Jellicoe and Beatty, that well known legal firm. (Unusually there is an error in the Margaret Baker book, Discovering London Statues and Monuments - she has the Beatty and Cunningham sculptures the wrong way round - perhaps they have been shuffled.) We thank Jamie Davis for finding this link to the British Pathe news film of the unveiling of the Beatty and Jellicoe busts which were unveiled simultaneously on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1948.
The third bust, to Cunningham, was installed much later, in 1967.
The Beatty and Jellicoe memorials each consists of a bust and a fountain containing two bronze sculptural groups jetting water. The sculptural work on the eastern side was by McMillan, and on the western side by Wheeler. Originally each bust was directly north of its associated fountain, but in 2003 the square was reconfigured and all 3 busts were moved to their present locations, to the east of the new steps.
Statues - Hither and Thither is an excellent source of information. Cafe on the Square has a useful timeline of the development of Trafalgar Square.
Just to the right of Beatty there are some strange brass plaques on the wall. They are not a memorial so we cannot give them their own entry here but we have to comment on them. They are "Imperial Standards of Length", "placed on this site by the Standards Department of the Board of Trade" in 1876. One foot, two feet and Imperial yard, links, chains, perches and poles. If you think you are being cheated bring your suppliers down here to settle the dispute.
