The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London, is a bronze sculpture of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill created by Ivor Roberts-Jones. It is located in a spot referred to in the 1950s by Churchill as "where my statue will go". Unveiled by his widow Lady Clementine Spencer-Churchill in 1973, the unveiling was attended by the serving Prime Minister and four former Prime Ministers, while Queen Elizabeth II gave a speech. In recent years, the statue has been defaced on several occasions during protests and riots in Parliament Square.
The statue is 12 feet (3.7 m) high and is made of bronze. It was sculpted by Ivor Roberts-Jones, and is located opposite the Houses of Parliament in Parliament Square, London.[1] It shows Winston Churchill standing with his hand resting on his walking stick, while he wears a military greatcoat. The plinth is 8 feet (2.4 m) high with "Churchill" inscribed on it in large letters.[2] A proposal to insert pins standing out of the statue's head was turned down in the 1970s – the pins were intended to stop wild birds from sitting on its head.[2]
The Churchill Statue Committee had concerns during the statue's development process that it looked "a little too much" like Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Whilst the head was still only cast in plaster, a report on it stated that, "At the moment the head is undoubtedly like Churchill, but perhaps not quite right of him at the pinnacle of his career. The cheeks, the eyes, the forehead and the top of the head require improvement. I told Mr Roberts-Jones that above the eyes I thought I was looking at Mussolini."[3] Roberts-Jones agreed to modify the head to reduce the dome of the head in order to lower the forehead.[3]
In the 1950s, Sir David Eccles, then Minister of Works, showed Churchill plans for the redevelopment of Parliament Square. Winston drew a circle in the north east corner and announced "That is where my statue will go."[2] The statue that was eventually installed was first suggested by Sir John Tilney, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, in a parliamentary question in 1968.[2] Initial estimates by the sponsors of the Winston Churchill Statue Appeal placed the cost of the statue at £30,000. The sponsors of the appeal included Edward Heath, Lord Mountbatten, Lord Portal, and Baroness Elliot.[4] The sum of £32,000 was raised towards the statue by 4,500 individuals which are listed in a book which was deposited into the library at Chartwell on Churchill's birthday, 30 November 1973.[2]
The statue was unveiled on 1 November 1973 by Lady Clementine Spencer-Churchill, Winston Churchill's widow. Queen Elizabeth II had declined to unveil the statue herself, indicating that she thought it was right that Lady Spencer-Churchill should do it, although she attended and gave a speech discussing how he had turned down a dukedom as he wanted to spend his remaining years in the House of Commons.[2] Union Jacks covered the statue, which were pulled off as the cord was pulled.[2] Other attendees at the unveiling included Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, members of the Churchill family across four generations, Edward Heath (the then Prime Minister), and four other former Prime Ministers. The Brass Band of the Royal Marines played several of Churchill's favourite pieces of music.[2]
In 2008, the statue was grade II listed.[5] The statue has been defaced on a number of occasions during protests held in Parliament Square. In 2000, at the May Day Protests the statue was sprayed with red paint to give it the appearance of blood dripping from its mouth,[6] and a strip of grass was placed on top of the head of the statue giving it the appearance of having a mohican.[7] During the 2010 student protest in London, the statue was defaced with graffiti and urinated upon.[8]