Statue

V&A façade - Wren

Erection date: 1909

Inscription

Chrisr. Wren

Site: Victoria & Albert Museum façade (38 memorials)

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road. This building was designed by Aston Webb and built 1899-1909. Each statue has the subject's name on a label beneath the feet and the sculptor's name inscribed in the wall of the niche to the right of the statue. Starting in Cromwell Road and reading right to left:

Group of 6 British architects:
Chas. Barry
W. Chambers
Chrisr. Wren
Inigo Jones
John Thorpe
Wykeham

Group of 5 British painters:
J. E. Millais
Ld. Leighton
G. F. Watts
J. Constable
J. M. W. Turner

And flanking the entrance:
Queen Alexandra (to the right)
King Edward VII (to the left)

Albert (below the arch)
Victoria (in the arch)

On either side of the arch, at eye level there is a foundation stone:
Stone laid by Edward VII (to the right)
Stone laid by Victoria (to the left)

Group of 5 British painters:
R. Cosway
G. Romney
T. Gainsborough
J. Reynolds
W. Hogarth

Group of 6 British sculptors:
Alfred Stevens
John H. Foley
F. L. Chantrey
John Flaxman
John Bacon
Grinlg. Gibbons

And around the corner in Exhibition Road:

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
William Morris
Roger Payne
J. Wedgwood
T. Chippendale
Thos. Tompion

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
Huntingn. Shaw
George Heriot
William Caxton
William Torel
St. Dunstan

Note that there are more Johns than women but that's not difficult since, excluding royalty, there are no women!

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Wren

Subjects commemorated i

Sir Christopher Wren

Born East Knoyle, Wiltshire, died London.  Designer of 54 London churches, o...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Wren

Created by i

Oliver Wheatley

For some more of his work in London see the ever excellent Ornamental Passions.

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Wren

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Grey Coat School - boy

Grey Coat School - boy

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The scholars are on the central facade of the building: boy to left, girl to right, with the British Royal coat of arms between. Above th...

2 subjects commemorated
James II statue

James II statue

WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery front garden

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 br...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
6 Burlington Gardens - Cicero

6 Burlington Gardens - Cicero

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
Huskisson statue

Huskisson statue

SW1, Millbank, Pimlico Gardens

Noting the stance and the toga, Osbert Sitwell described this statue as "boredom rising from the bath." Peter Duby tells us that the stat...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
George IV

George IV

WC2, Trafalgar Square

One third of the sculptor's fees, totalling £9,000, were paid by the king, who was also responsible for the choice of Roman costume and, ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator