Statue

James Greathead statue

Erection date: 1994

Inscription

{On north face of plinth, in circle, around an image in relief of the "travelling shield" in use :}
James Henry Greathead, 1844 - 1896

{Below the circle:}
J.H. Greathead, chief engineer, City and South London Railway, inventor of the travelling shield that made possible the cutting of the tunnels of London's deep level tube system.

{On south face of plinth, in circle, around a corporate image that includes water and a bridge:}
City and South London Railway

The relief depicts eight men shovelling and manually transporting earth. They are inside a multi-jointed ring which is presumably the travelling shield. It is clear that the invention did not remove all the toil from the task.

Note that part of the Greathead shield used in digging the tunnels at Bank Station was left in situ.

Site: James Greathead statue (1 memorial)

EC3, Cornhill

Why is this statue, relatively modern, on a high pedestal, situated in the middle of the road like this? Answer supplied by Tony Tugnutt, conservation officer with the Corporation of London at the time:

"London Underground required a vent shaft to meet new safety measures (post- King's Cross fire ). The required size was of a double-decker bus and it had to be placed at the Bank Junction - one of the most famous spaces in the City. The layout was symmetrical and they wanted to place it in front of the Royal Exchange. It was important to maintain a balance. We came up with the idea of siting it in the middle of Cornhill - off stage so to speak -similar to the magnificent one in Fleet Street near Chancery Lane. The next question was the subject for what would have to be a fairly monumental object. Being the City, some bright spark came up with the idea of a sculptural group depicting a bull, a bear and a stag - the end result looked like something out of Walt Disney's studio! A colleague who was a bit of a railway buff and I alighted on the idea of Henry Greathead. Greathead had pioneered the travelling shield technology used widely on our underground system and for the Channel Tunnel and seemed to me an ideal subject. We had some difficulty getting a suitable image for him as he was South African (hence the hat) and finally got an image from an old photograph or newspaper. The sculptor, James Butler, was short-listed with the help of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and my mate Philomena Davidson-Davis who was then President. Butler told me that he had worked in the studio of the sculptor who had done the figures on the Bank of England opposite (see Pevsner for details) - so there is a nice connection! Had some trouble with the maquette as his legs were rather short and I remember telling the sculptor that we did not want any working class heroes! So the legs were stretched and I was very pleased with the end result. The granite base details with the overthrows at the corners was influenced by the one in Fleet St already mentioned. Know it cost LU an arm and a leg (no pun intended) but money well spent I think! We had a nice opening ceremony with the Lord Mayor riding in a cherry picker and Greathead's grandson attended."

See also Dance's obelisk.

Credit for this entry to: Tony Tugnutt

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
James Greathead statue

Subjects commemorated i

City and South London Railway / Northern Line

The world's first underground electric railway, the world's first deep tunnel...

Read More

James Henry Greathead

Railway and tunnelling engineer. Born in Grahamstown, South Africa. Arrived i...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
James Greathead statue

Created by i

City and South London Railway / Northern Line

The world's first underground electric railway, the world's first deep tunnel...

Read More

James Butler RA

One of Britain's foremost figurative sculptors. Born New Cross. Interestingly...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Bishop Compton

Bishop Compton

SW6, Bishop's Avenue, Fulham Palace Gardens

The book he holds has "MPM FEBM" on the back cover and "DAM MPM" on the front cover. Perhaps these initials relate to the Moorhouse famil...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
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
6 Burlington Gardens - Newton

6 Burlington Gardens - Newton

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
Catherine Booth statue - Mile End

Catherine Booth statue - Mile End

E1, Mile End Road

When we first visited in 2014 William's statue was looking very pale - showing its fibreglass material. In 2017 it had been re-bronzed an...

3 subjects commemorated, 3 creators
Raine's House - charity boy

Raine's House - charity boy

E1, Raine Street, Raine's House

The motto above the door reads ‘Come in and learn your duty to God and man’. The scholar statues on the front are copies. The originals w...

2 subjects commemorated