Statue

Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Erection date: 1854

Have we correctly identified this king?

Site: Westminster Sanctuary (4 memorials)

SW1, Broad Sanctuary, The Sanctuary, 1-8 Broad Sanctuary

The building is Grade II listed, a terrace of Bath stone buildings incorporating gateway to Dean's Yard. 1853-54 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Some sources say these were built as houses which seems unlikely but they are certainly now used as offices.

Niches in the turrets, at first floor, house two very similar statues. The spandrels of the gateway are decorated with two roundels with portrait heads, one of which is crowned. These all seem to represent particular individuals but we can find no information, so we have to guess.

The statues are crowned and each clutches a model building, with slightly different fenestration. So we think they are the two kings central to the creation of Westminster Abbey: Edward the Confessor who, in 1042-52, (re)built St Peter's Abbey here, and Henry III who, in 1245, began the building of the current Abbey. Comparative beard lengths seem to corroborate our theory.

And the two heads must represent Victoria and Albert: the female wears a crown and the male doesn't, the date of the building, they even look like some of their portraits.

The memorial column in our photo is covered on its own page: Westminster School - old boys.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Subjects commemorated i

Edward the Confessor

King of England. Son of Ethelred the Unready. Born between 1003 and 1005 at I...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Sanctuary - king on left - Edward the Confessor

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Frieze of Parnassus - Orlando Gibbons

Frieze of Parnassus - Orlando Gibbons

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The monument, officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert's passions and i...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Shackleton statue

Shackleton statue

SW7, Kensington Gore, Royal Geographic Society

In Exhibition Road façade, on left of picture. This bronze statue stands in a niche although it was intended to be on a plinth.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Henry Purcell statue

Henry Purcell statue

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The form of the statue is similar to that of the 'Green Man' carvings in churches.

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
V&A façade - Chippendale

V&A façade - Chippendale

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Not sure whether the statue represents junior or senior.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Frieze of Parnassus - Reynolds

Frieze of Parnassus - Reynolds

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert's passions and i...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

John Cranfield at St John's

John Cranfield at St John's

EC1, St John's Lane, 33, Watchmaker Court

The plaques read left to right chronological by birth date. We've taken the dates on each plaque to be date of birth and date of death bu...

1 subject commemorated
Roberts statue

Roberts statue

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Unveiled by the Duke of Connaught and we thank Jamie Davis for finding this link to the British Pathe news film of the unveiling. This i...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Samuel Stennett, DD

Samuel Stennett, DD

Baptist minister and hymnwriter.  Born Exeter.  His father was appointed minister at Little Wild Street chapel from 1737 so the family moved to London.  See Andrew Gifford for the rather unsavoury ...

Person, Music / songs, Religion

1 memorial