Sculpture

St Michael's School, Chester Square - statue

Richard Grosvenor fountain St Michael's School, Chester Square - statue

When you have a winged character overpowering a dragon - who is it - St Michael or St George? 

Here we have St Michael. Our confidence comes from the existence of St Michael's (National) School on this site. As happens quite often, we think that when the school was demolished to make way for this rather dull 50s (?) block they rescued this piece of sculpture and placed it here in memory of the school.

Two thirds of this block, the northern part, used to be occupied by St Michael's (National) School - see 1891 map. This map shows a detached property at the centre of the southern part of the site, surrounded by, presumably, gardens. Another 1901 map shows the same arrangement. Both maps show the fountain on the corner. It's likely that the detached property had been subsumed into the school by the time the whole block was redeveloped.

Trying to find an image of the school (and failing) we kept finding it described as "St Michael's Chester Square". Certainly the church, St Michael's, is in nearby Chester Square (to the north). We can only think that the school was named after the church, including the address. Perhaps it started in a small building in Chester Square and kept the name when it moved to this much larger site. Either way it confused us and probably confused lots of people at the time.

We found a presentation book on eBay which confirms that "St Michael's School, Chester Square, London SW1" still existed in 1953.

2022: IanVisits says that the detached property was the St Michael's vicarage, last occupant Rev. James Fleming. That seems extremely likely, but we still can't find an image of it.

Site: Richard Grosvenor fountain (2 memorials)

SW1, Pimlico Road

The 1954 film 'Cocktails in the Kitchen' has Dirk Bogarde and wife living in a one-room flat in the Cundy Street flats near here and, at about 30 mins in, the camera pans past this junction showing this fountain and the statue exactly as they now are.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
St Michael's School, Chester Square - statue

Subjects commemorated i

St Michael's School and Vicarage

Associated with St Michael's church, Chester Square.

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
St Michael's School, Chester Square - statue

Also at this site i

Richard Grosvenor fountain

Richard Grosvenor fountain

'EMW' are the initials of the Marquess's wife, Elizabeth Mary who died 1891, ...

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Nearby Memorials

Plough Lane Landmark

Plough Lane Landmark

SW19, Plough Lane

The artist's website has a photo of the textured surface in the studio. Our location shot shows WFC's double-headed eagle on one side of...

3 subjects commemorated, 7 creators
Civilian deaths in WW2 - Blitz East London

Civilian deaths in WW2 - Blitz East London

E1, Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden

The lettering on the plinth does not look contemporary with the dove sculpture. It has the look of having originally been on a older mem...

4 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
New Zealand memorial

New Zealand memorial

W1, Hyde Park corner

16 bronze standards, each decorated with texts and motifs of New Zealand, such as a fern leaf, a manaia figure, a farmer, Anzac poppies, ...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Tattersall's auction yard

Tattersall's auction yard

SW1, Knightsbridge Green, 1, Caltex House

This sculpture 'Triga' recalls the racehorses that were bought and sold on this site while it was occupied by Tattersalls for almost 75 y...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Army & Navy Club

Army & Navy Club

SW1, Pall Mall, 36-39

{Inscribed on the glass:} In memory of our members and staff fallen in defence of their country.

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator