TheVictoria Embankment is a road and river-walk on the north bank of the River Thames inLondon, formed from land reclaimed during the construction ofJoseph Bazalgette's sewerage system in the late 19th century.[1] From 1864 a sequence of public gardens called theVictoria Embankment Gardens was created from this land. Running from north-east to south-west, these are called Temple Gardens, the Main Garden, the Whitehall Garden and finally theMinistry of Defence section; the last of these was laid out in 1939–1959.[2] Each of the four gardens features commemorative sculptures, and additional memorials are situated along the river walk and road, making the Embankment one of the primary sites for commemoration in London.[3]
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
More images | Dragon boundary marks | Victoria Embankment 51°30′40″N0°06′42″W / 51.5111°N 0.1116°W /51.5111; -0.1116 (Dragon boundary markers) | 1847–1849 | ? | James Bunstone Bunning | Statues | Grade II | [4] |
| Statue ofThomas More | OldCity of London School building | 1881–1882 | John Daymond and Son | Davis and Emanuel | Statue in niche | Grade II | [5] | |
| Statue ofFrancis Bacon | OldCity of London School building | 1881–1882 | John Daymond and Son | Davis and Emanuel | Statue in niche | Grade II | [5] | |
| Statue ofWilliam Shakespeare | OldCity of London School building | 1881–1882 | John Daymond and Son | Davis and Emanuel | Statue in niche | Grade II | [5] | |
| Statue ofJohn Milton | OldCity of London School building | 1881–1882 | John Daymond and Son | Davis and Emanuel | Statue in niche | Grade II | [5] | |
| Statue ofIsaac Newton | OldCity of London School building | 1881–1882 | John Daymond and Son | Davis and Emanuel | Statue in niche | Grade II | [5] | |
More images | Memorial toQueen Victoria's last visit to the City | Incorporated into the railings ofMiddle Temple Gardens | 1902 | John Daymond and Son or Charles Henry Mabey | Andrew Murray(City Surveyor) | Memorial with relief sculpture; boundary marker | N/a | [6] |
More images | National Submarine War Memorial | Temple Pier 51°30′39″N0°06′40″W / 51.5109°N 0.1110°W /51.5109; -0.1110 (National Submarine War Memorial) | 1922 and 1959 | Frederick Brook Hitch | A. Heron Ryan Tenison | Plaque | Grade II* | [7] |
| Controlled Energy | Unilever House | 1931–1932 | William Reid Dick | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [8] | |
| Keystones | Unilever House | 1931–1932 | Gilbert Ledward | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [9] | |
| Two lamp standards | Unilever House | 1931–1932 | Walter Gilbert | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [10] | |
| Relief panels | Unilever House | 1931–1932 | Walter Gilbert | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [10] | |
| Abundance | Unilever House | 1980 | Bernard Sindall | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [11] | |
| Japanese, Nigerian and English Girls | Unilever House | 1982–1983 | Nicholas Monro | J. Lomax Simpson withBurnet,Tait and Partners | Architectural sculpture | Grade II | [11] | |
| Stage | Bazalgette Embankment | 2016–2025 c. 2016–2025 | Nathan Coley | Hawkins\Brown | Sculpture | N/a | [12][13] | |
| Zig Zag | Bazalgette Embankment | 2016–2025 c. 2016–2025 | Nathan Coley | Hawkins\Brown | Sculpture | N/a | [12][13] | |
| Waterwall | Bazalgette Embankment | 2016–2025 c. 2016–2025 | Nathan Coley | Hawkins\Brown | Sculpture | N/a | [12][13] | |
| Twins | Bazalgette Embankment | 2016–2025 c. 2016–2025 | Nathan Coley | Hawkins\Brown | Sculpture | N/a | [12][13] | |
| Kicker | Bazalgette Embankment | 2016–2025 c. 2016–2025 | Nathan Coley | Hawkins\Brown | Sculpture | N/a | [12][13] |
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
More images | Cleopatra's Needle Thutmose III andRamesses II | Adelphi Steps, nearHungerford Bridge 51°30′31″N0°07′13″W / 51.5085°N 0.1203°W /51.5085; -0.1203 (Cleopatra's Needle) | 1450 BC c. 1450 BC | N/a | George John Vulliamy | Obelisk | Grade I | One of a pair of obelisks erected inHeliopolis by Thutmose III; two centuries later the inscriptions to Ramesses II were added and in 12 BC they were moved toAlexandria. Presented to Britain in 1819, but not brought to London until 1878. Its companion was re-erected inCentral Park, New York, in 1881.[14] |
More images | Boadicea and Her Daughters Boudica | NearWestminster Pier 51°30′04″N0°07′26″W / 51.5011°N 0.1238°W /51.5011; -0.1238 (Boadicea and Her Daughters) | 1856–1883 | Thomas ThornycroftandWilliam Hamo Thornycroft | Thomas Graham Jackson | Sculptural group | Grade II | The elder Thornycroft'smagnum opus, brought to completion by his son. The style of the figures was out of fashion by the time the group was installed here in 1902.[15] |
More images | Statue ofIsambard Kingdom Brunel | NearTemple tube station 51°30′39″N0°06′55″W / 51.5108°N 0.1152°W /51.5108; -0.1152 (Statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel) | 1861 c. 1861 | Carlo Marochetti | Richard Norman Shaw | Statue | Grade II | Erected 1877. This and Marochetti's statue ofGeorge Stephenson outsideEuston station were originally planned for Parliament Square. Shaw's masonry screen, then a complete novelty but much imitated since, may have been intended to block the tube station from view.[16] |
| Lions' heads withmooring rings | Victoria Embankment, at intervals beneath lamps on the river side of the river wall | 1868–1870 | Timothy Butler | Joseph Bazalgette andGeorge John Vulliamy | Lion's head masks | Grade II | The bronze masks with mooring rings were the earliest elements in the Embankment's decorative programme to be installed.[17] For the tide to rise of the level of the lions' mouths would be a sign of severe flooding, so a saying has arisen, "if the lions drink, London will sink".[18] | |
More images | Dolphin lamp standards | Victoria Embankment | 1870 onwards | Charles Henry Mabey | George John Vulliamy | Lamp standards with sculptural elements | Grade II | [19] |
More images | Statue ofSir James Outram, 1st Baronet | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′21″N0°07′24″W / 51.5057°N 0.1234°W /51.5057; -0.1234 (Statue of Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet) | 1871 | Matthew Noble | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 17 August 1871 byLord Halifax. Permission for a statue to Outram in Trafalgar Square had been refused in 1861. Trophies of arms representing his Indian campaigns rest on the corners of the pedestal.[20] |
More images | Benches | Victoria Embankment 51°30′33″N0°07′09″W / 51.5093°N 0.1192°W /51.5093; -0.1192 (Bench) | 1872–1874 | Lewis andGeorge John Vulliamy | N/a | Benches | Grade II | 21 cast iron and timber benches set along the Embankment, all to a design depicting winged sphinxes in their terminal arm-brackets, except for that opposite the junction with Horseguards Avenue, which depicts seated camels instead.[21] |
More images | Statue ofJohn Stuart Mill | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Temple Gardens 51°30′40″N0°06′48″W / 51.5112°N 0.1132°W /51.5112; -0.1132 (Statue of John Stuart Mill) | 1878 | Thomas Woolner | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 26 January 1878.[22] The first statue specifically designed for a site on the Embankment.[23] |
More images | Two sphinxes | Cleopatra's Needle 51°30′31″N0°07′13″W / 51.508579°N 0.120239°W /51.508579; -0.120239 (Sphinx at Cleopatra's Neeedle) | 1878 | Charles Henry Mabey | George John Vulliamy | Statues | Grade I(with obelisk) | Modelled on a sphinx from the time ofThutmose III in the Duke of Northumberland's collection atAlnwick Castle.[24] |
More images | Statue ofRobert Raikes | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′34″N0°07′11″W / 51.5095°N 0.1197°W /51.5095; -0.1197 (Statue of Robert Raikes) | 1880 | Thomas Brock | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 3 July 1880 by theEarl of Shaftesbury. Replicas were made in 1929 for the 150th anniversary of the firstSunday school, established by Raikes inGloucester; they stand in that city andin Toronto.[25] |
More images | Statue ofWilliam Tyndale | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′23″N0°07′23″W / 51.5063°N 0.1231°W /51.5063; -0.1231 (Statue of William Tyndale) | 1884 | Joseph Edgar Boehm | Edward William Godwin | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 7 May 1884. Erected by theBritish and Foreign Bible Society to commemorate their 80th anniversary, and the supposed 400th anniversary of Tyndale's birth.[26] |
More images | Statue ofRobert Burns | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′32″N0°07′16″W / 51.5089°N 0.1210°W /51.5089; -0.1210 (Statue of Robert Burns) | 1884 | John Steell | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 26 July 1884 byLord Rosebery. A variation on Steell's 1880 statue of Burns in Central Park, New York; other versions are in Dundee (erected 1880) and Dunedin, New Zealand (erected 1887).[27] |
More images | Memorial toHenry Fawcett | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′33″N0°07′14″W / 51.5091°N 0.1205°W /51.5091; -0.1205 (Memorial to Henry Fawcett) | 1886 | Mary Grant andGeorge Frampton | Basil Champneys | Drinking fountain with plaque | Grade II | Unveiled 27 July 1886. Grant produced the portrait relief and Frampton, then at an early stage in his career, provided the ornamental sculpture. An erroneous inscription readsMARY GRANT SC/ 1896; this was added in 1897.[28] |
More images | Statue ofSir Henry Bartle Frere, 1st Baronet | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′18″N0°07′25″W / 51.5051°N 0.1236°W /51.5051; -0.1236 (Statue of Sir Henry Bartle Frere, 1st Baronet) | 1887 | Thomas Brock | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 5 June 1888 by the Prince of Wales (the futureEdward VII). Frere is represented inprivy counsellor's uniform, with the robe and collar of a Knight Grand Commander of theStar of India and the insignia of theOrder of the Bath.[29] |
More images | Statue ofCharles George Gordon | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Ministry of Defence section 51°30′16″N0°07′26″W / 51.5045°N 0.1238°W /51.5045; -0.1238 (Statue of Charles George Gordon) | 1888 | William Hamo Thornycroft | Alfred Waterhouse | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 16 October 1888 inTrafalgar Square. The pedestal was inspired by that of Le Sueur'sCharles I at the southern end of the square. Thornycroft's work was removed from its original location in 1943 for the temporary display of aLancaster bomber and re-erected on this site in 1953. A cast of 1889 is in Melbourne.[30] |
More images | Statue ofWilliam Edward Forster | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′41″N0°06′44″W / 51.5113°N 0.1123°W /51.5113; -0.1123 (Statue of William Edward Forster) | 1889 | Henry Richard Hope-Pinker | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 1 August 1890. Erected outside the (now demolished)London School Board offices.[31]School boards in England and Wales had been created under "Forster's Education Act" of 1870.[32] |
More images | Memorial toJoseph Bazalgette | NearEmbankment Pier, facingNorthumberland Avenue 51°30′23″N0°07′20″W / 51.506383°N 0.122250°W /51.506383; -0.122250 (Memorial to Joseph Bazalgette) | 1901 | George Blackall Simonds | N/a | Plaque with bust | Grade II | Unveiled 6 November 1901.[33] InscribedFLVMINI VINCVLA POSVIT ("he put the river in chains"), referring to Bazalgette's construction of London's sewers, which also resulted in the creation of the Embankment.[34] |
More images | Memorial toArthur Sullivan | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′33″N0°07′13″W / 51.5093°N 0.1203°W /51.5093; -0.1203 (Memorial to Arthur Sullivan) | 1902 | William Goscombe John | N/a | Bust on pedestal with other sculpture | Grade II | Unveiled 10 July 1903 byPrincess Louise. Inscribed with a quotation from Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operaThe Yeomen of the Guard (1888),IS LIFE A BOON?/ IF SO, IT MUST BEFALL/ THAT DEATH, WHENE'ER HE CALL/ MUST CALL TOO SOON.[35] |
More images | Memorial toWalter Besant | NearSavoy Place 51°30′34″N0°07′07″W / 51.509583°N 0.118533°W /51.509583; -0.118533 (Memorial to Walter Besant) | 1902 | George Frampton | N/a | Plaque | N/a | Erected 1904. A cast of an identical monument in the crypt ofSt Paul's Cathedral, unveiled in 1903.[36] |
| Gates | Norman Shaw Buildings, Derby Gate 51°30′07″N0°07′27″W / 51.501974°N 0.124264°W /51.501974; -0.124264 (Gates to Norman Shaw Buildings) | 1904(erected) | Reginald Blomfield(designer of gates) | Richard Norman Shaw | Gates | Grade II* | These ornate wrought-iron gates were acquired by Shaw after he saw them displayed in an exhibition of Arts and Crafts; they were installed here during the construction of his second building for the New Scotland Yard, now known as the Norman Shaw South Building.[37] | |
More images | Statue ofSir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet, of Brayton | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′31″N0°07′18″W / 51.5085°N 0.1218°W /51.5085; -0.1218 (Statue of Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet) | 1909 | David McGill | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 20 July 1909 byH. H. Asquith. The pedestal was originally decorated with bronze statuettes representingTemperance,Charity,Fortitude andPeace; these were stolen in 1979.[38] |
More images | Memorial toW. T. Stead | Temple Pier 51°30′39″N0°06′45″W / 51.5108°N 0.1126°W /51.5108; -0.1126 (Memorial to W. T. Stead) | 1913 | George Frampton | N/a | Plaque | Grade II | Unveiled 5 July 1920. Portrait relief with two small figures ofFortitude andSympathy. A replica was unveiled in Central Park, New York, in 1921.[39] |
| Memorial toRichard Norman Shaw | Norman Shaw North Building 51°30′08″N0°07′27″W / 51.502156°N 0.124205°W /51.502156; -0.124205 (Memorial to Richard Norman Shaw) | 1914 | William Hamo Thornycroft | William Lethaby | Plaque | Grade I(building) | Unveiled 13 July 1914. Lethaby commended Thornycroft on his posthumous likeness of Shaw: "You must have remembered much, the curled over lip and the serious smiling, saucy look are so alike..." The building is often regarded as Shaw's masterpiece.[40] | |
More images | Memorial toW. S. Gilbert | NearEmbankment Pier 51°30′26″N0°07′18″W / 51.5072°N 0.1216°W /51.5072; -0.1216 (Memorial to W. S. Gilbert) | 1914 | George Frampton | N/a | Plaque | Grade II | Unveiled 31 August 1915. Portrait relief with figures ofTragedy andComedy; the latter contemplates a doll dressed asthe Mikado.Anthony Hope, who was on the memorial committee, took credit for the epitaphHIS FOE WAS FOLLY/ AND HIS WEAPON WIT, though the exact phrasing was not his.[41] |
More images | Anglo-Belgian Memorial | Victoria Embankment, facingCleopatra's Needle 51°30′31″N0°07′15″W / 51.5087°N 0.1208°W /51.5087; -0.1208 (Anglo-Belgian War Memorial) | 1920 | Victor Rousseauwith a Mr Francis | Reginald Blomfield | Screen with sculptural group and reliefs | Grade II* | Unveiled 12 October 1920. A gift from Belgium to thank Britain for her assistance in the First World War. Rousseau modelled the central bronze group and Francis, a student at theRoyal College of Art, was tasked with the initial carving of the stone elements, which was finished by Rousseau.[42] Acorresponding memorial is in Brussels. |
More images | Imperial Camel Corps Memorial | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′30″N0°07′18″W / 51.5084°N 0.1216°W /51.5084; -0.1216 (Imperial Camel Corps Memorial) | 1920 | Cecil Brown | N/a | Statue on pedestal with reliefs | Grade II | Unveiled 22 July 1921. Major Cecil Brown, the sculptor, was himself a member of the Corps.[43] |
More images | Royal Air Force Memorial | Whitehall Steps 51°30′14″N0°07′23″W / 51.5040°N 0.1231°W /51.5040; -0.1231 (Royal Air Force Memorial) | 1923 | William Reid Dick | Reginald Blomfield | Pylon with sculpture | Grade II* | Unveiled 13 July 1923 by the Prince of Wales (the futureEdward VIII). A pylon of Portland stone surmounted by a gilded eagle, perched on a globe. Commemorates RAF personnel killed in both world wars.[44] |
More images | Memorial toSamuel Plimsoll | Victoria Embankment 51°30′19″N0°07′24″W / 51.5053°N 0.1232°W /51.5053; -0.1232 (Memorial to Samuel Plimsoll) | 1929 | Ferdinand Victor Blundstone | N/a | Bust on pedestal with other sculpture | Grade II | Unveiled 21 August 1929. The plinth is flanked by bronze figures of a sailor and Justice. ThePlimsoll line is used as a motif on the railings on either side.[45] |
More images | Memorial toHerbert Eaton, 3rd Baron Cheylesmore | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′32″N0°07′15″W / 51.5088°N 0.1209°W /51.5088; -0.1209 (Memorial to Herbert Eaton, 3rd Baron Cheylesmore) | 1930 | N/a | Edwin Lutyens | Screen | Grade II | Unveiled 17 July 1930.Reginald Blomfield, the architect of theAnglo-Belgian Memorial, objected to Lutyens's work being "plastered onto the back" of his own.[46] |
More images | King's Reach Memorial | Temple Pier 51°30′39″N0°06′42″W / 51.510867°N 0.111793°W /51.510867; -0.111793 (King's Reach Memorial) | 1936 | Charles Doman | Edwin Cooper | Stele withplaque and sculpture | N/a | Unveiled 20 January 1936. Commemorates the naming of this stretch of the river afterGeorge V.[47] |
More images | Statue ofHugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Ministry of Defence section 51°30′13″N0°07′26″W / 51.5035°N 0.1240°W /51.5035; -0.1240 (Statue of Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard) | 1961 | William McMillan | Albert Richardson | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 19 July 1961 byHarold Macmillan. Richardson was an old friend of Trenchard's and offered to design the pedestal free of charge.[48] |
More images | Statue ofCharles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Ministry of Defence section 51°30′15″N0°07′25″W / 51.504201°N 0.12372°W /51.504201; -0.12372 (Statue of Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford) | 1975 | Oscar Nemon | N/a | Statue | N/a | Unveiled 21 May 1975 byHarold Macmillan. The statue is set on a triangular slate pedestal, partly intended to evoke the shape of anaerofoil. Portal gazes upwards in the direction of theRAF Memorial.[49] |
| Murals | Embankment tube station, all platforms | 1985 | Robyn Denny | Arup Associates | Murals | N/a | This scheme won aBrunel Award for outstanding visual design in 1989.[50] | |
| Savoy HotelCentenary Memorial Richard D'Oyly Carte and other chairmen and managing directors of the Savoy Hotel up to 1989 | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′34″N0°07′12″W / 51.509498°N 0.119932°W /51.509498; -0.119932 (Savoy Hotel Centenary Memorial) | 1989 | Christopher Daniel | Hugh Casson | Armillary sphere and cistern | N/a | Inaugurated 30 March 1989. The inscriptions on the armilla include the hotel's motto ('FOR EXCELLENCE WE STRIVE') and lines from Gilbert and Sullivan'sSavoy opera,Ruddigore (1887):EVERY SEASON HAS ITS CHEER'/ 'LIFE IS LOVELY ALL THE YEAR'.[51] | |
More images | Statue ofMichael Faraday | Savoy Place 51°30′36″N0°07′08″W / 51.509883°N 0.118883°W /51.509883; -0.118883 (Statue of Michael Faraday) | 1989 | John Henry FoleyandThomas Brock | N/a | Statue | N/a | Unveiled 1 November 1989. Cast of an 1874 marble sculpture in theRoyal Institution, completed by Brock after Foley's death. The original gilding has worn away entirely.[52] |
More images | Memorial to theChindits | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′12″N0°07′26″W / 51.503302°N 0.124009°W /51.503302; -0.124009 (Chindit Memorial) | 1990 | Frank Forster | David Price | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled 16 October 1990. Crowned with a bronzeChinthe or Burmese temple guardian, the Chindits' namesake. Medallions to the front and rear reproduce the force's badge and the portrait of their founderOrde Wingate.[53] |
More images | Lady Henry Somerset Memorial | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Main Garden 51°30′40″N0°06′45″W / 51.5112°N 0.1125°W /51.5112; -0.1125 (Lady Henry Somerset Memorial Fountain) | 1991 | Philomena Davidson DavisafterGeorge Edward Wade | N/a | Drinking fountain with statue | Grade II | Unveiled 29 May 1897. Wade's original sculpture for thetemperance campaigner's memorial was stolen in 1971; it was replaced by Davis's replica only in 1991.[54] |
More images | Fleet Air Arm Memorial (Daedalus) Royal Naval Air Service and Fleet Air Arm | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Ministry of Defence section 51°30′15″N0°07′26″W / 51.504038°N 0.123974°W /51.504038; -0.123974 (Fleet Air Arm Memorial) | 2000 | James Butler | Trehearne and Norman | Statue | N/a | Unveiled 1 June 2000 by the Prince of Wales (the futureCharles III). The figure ofDaedalus as a modern pilot reflects on his fallen comrades. He stands atop a column which rises out of a plinth reminiscent of the prow of a ship.[55] |
More images | Battle of Britain Monument | Victoria Embankment, near Richmond Terrace 51°30′11″N0°07′24″W / 51.503017°N 0.123425°W /51.503017; -0.123425 (Battle of Britain Monument) | 2005 | Paul Day | Tony Dyson | Memorial with sculpture | N/a | Unveiled 18 September 2005 by the Prince of Wales (the futureCharles III). Adapted from a Victorian granite plinth which originally housed a ventilator for the Underground.[56] |
More images | Korean War Memorial | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′13″N0°07′26″W / 51.5036°N 0.1239°W /51.5036; -0.1239 (Korean War Memorial) | 2014 | Philip Jackson | N/a | Memorial with statue | N/a | Unveiled 3 December 2014. A statue of a British soldier stands in front of a Portland stone obelisk on a base of Welsh slate. The memorial is a gift of theRepublic of Korea.[57] |
More images | Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial | Victoria Embankment Gardens, Whitehall Garden 51°30′12″N0°07′27″W / 51.5034°N 0.1243°W /51.5034; -0.1243 (Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial) | 2017 | Paul Day | N/a | Memorial with sculpture | N/a | Unveiled 9 March 2017 byElizabeth II.[58] |