Vanished statues of London

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This page lists statues which used to exist in London, but have either been destroyed or removed to another place. Statues which have been moved within London are not included. However, where one statue has been removed and replaced by another similar one, the old one is included in this list.

• Field-Marshal Lord Strathnairn - this statue by Onslow Ford was placed at the intersection of Knightsbridge and Brompton Road in 1895. It was removed in 1931 when the Knightsbridge underground station was renovated, and disappeared from public view until 1964, when it was sold to a private owner. It can now be seen near to Griggs Green in Hampshire. (The pedestal on which it now stands is significantly lower than the original.)

• The statue of the Duke of Wellington, by Matthew Wyatt, which used to stand on the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner was removed when the arch was itself moved, and never replaced. It was moved to Round Hill at Aldershot in 1885. The place it used to occupy is now filled by the Quadriga.

• The statue of Queen Anne by Bird which stood outside St. Paul's Cathedral was damaged by a lunatic in the 19th century, and as it was in any case in rather poor condition, it was removed, together with the four statues at its base, and replaced by a copy, partly the work of Richard Belt. The original was moved to a location near St Leonards in Sussex.

• The Victoria Palace Theatre had a figure on its roof of a dancer (possibly representing Anna Pavlova, by some accounts). It was destroyed as a result of bombing during World War II.

• Prior to the installation of the present statue of Oliver Cromwell in Parliament Square, there was a different statue of Cromwell in another part of the square. It looked very similar to the one by Matthew Noble currently in Wythenshawe, Manchester, but it is not clear whether this is the same statue or one is a copy of the other.

• Although the statue of Charles II in Soho Square cannot be counted as a vanished statue, it was removed for many years to Grim's Dyke, the estate of W. S. Gilbert, and returned to its current position after the death of Gilbert's widow, who had willed it back to the square. It was originally accompanied by 4 other statues representing British rivers, and the current whereabouts of these is unknown; they have probably been destroyed or buried.