Statue: Imperial Hotel - statue 21
Erection date: 1898
Site: Imperial Hotel - statues (21 memorials)
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 demolished in the 1960's and all that remains are these statues from the Turkish baths (on that page there is a photograph of them in their original location), bells and a galleon that now adorn the central courtyard of the current hotel.
Two groups of statues line the entrance to the underground car-park. There are six life-size, scantily clad allegorical women, two of them clutch books helpfully entitled "Literature" and "Chemistry"; one clutches a mask - indicating "Theatre" but the other three aren't telling. .And there are these 21 Tudor characters, each about 2 foot tall. The 5 bells, in decreasing size are embossed: United Kingdom MCMXII {1912}, India, Canada, Australia, South Africa. The bells and the galleon are on the casino facade. This facade also has a large, working, clock and at the centre of the courtyard there is a fountain, also working. These last two features date with the current building rather than with the statues.
The statues, created for display inside the Turkish baths, are not responding well to the exterior British climate. A layer of paint (possibly intended as protection) is peeling off and they are looking rather sorry for themselves.
Of the 21 statues, 6 of them are repeated so there are 15 personages represented. We have done our best to identify them (poring over Tudor portraits) and have managed 6 with a fair degree of certainty but that leaves 9 un-identified.
Calling all Tudor historians - can you identify these people?
2014: Spitalfields Life reports on a reunion held in a function room at the Imperial Hotel, with lots of photos. And in some of these photos you can see versions of these statues, in glass cases. We made a fact-finding visit and located the room as the Elizabethan Restaurant". The statues are in much better condition than those out on the car-park ramp but there is no additional information: no labels and no sculptor's name on the statues, as far as we could see.
