Statue: James II statue
{Inscribed in the old stone plinth:}
Jacobus Secundus
Dei Gratia
Angliae Scotiae
Franciae et
Hiberniae
Rex
Fidei Defensor
Anno MDCLXXXVI
{Translates as: James II, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland. Defender of the Faith. 1686.}
Sculpted by Grinling Gibbons or one of his pupils this is considered a very fine statue. It is a pair with that of Charles II, James's brother and predecessor, at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in that they were both commissioned by Tobias Rustat.
Site: James II statue (1 memorial)
WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery front garden
A strong contender for the title "campest statue in London", this statue has seen more of London than most, starting off in the Palace of Whitehall's Pebble Court, behind the Banqueting House; moved to the garden of Gwydyr House, in Whitehall; re-erected in the forecourt of the New Admiralty building; stored in Aldwych tube station during WW2; and now here.
2021: Open Democracy reported that "Earlier this year, the National Gallery announced a competition to redesign its Sainsbury Wing and to ‘reimagine the external public realm’ at its doorstep. At the heart of this ‘realm’ is the statue of James II." Given the campaign to either contextualise or remove statues that glorify slave-traffickers, this is seen as a wonderful opportunity to show what can be done.
