The statue of
Charlie Chaplin in
Leicester Square,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, is a work of 1979 by the sculptor
John Doubleday. It portrays the actor, comedian and filmmaker in his best-known role, as
The Tramp
The Tramp (''Charlot'' in several languages), also known as the Little Tramp, was English actor Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character and an icon in world cinema during the era of silent film. '' The Tramp'' is also the title ...
.
A memorial to Chaplin in the city of his birth was proposed on 25 December 1977, soon after Chaplin's death, by
Illtyd Harrington, the leader of the opposition in the
Greater London Council. Initial plans for a memorial in the
Elephant and Castle
The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground stati ...
, in
South London where Chaplin spent his early years, were dropped and instead Leicester Square, at the centre of London's entertainment district, became the preferred location for the work.
The bronze statue was first unveiled on 16 April 1981 (the 92nd anniversary of Chaplin's birth) at its original site, on the southwestern corner of the square, by the actor Sir
Ralph Richardson. An inscription on the plinth read . The following year a slightly modified version was erected in the Swiss town of
Vevey
Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used.
It was the seat of the district of ...
, which had been Chaplin's home from 1952 until his death. Following a refurbishment of Leicester Square in 1989–1992, the statue was moved to a site north of the
statue of William Shakespeare, the square's centrepiece.
In a later refurbishment of 2010–2012, Chaplin's statue was removed altogether, together with busts of
William Hogarth
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...
,
John Hunter, Sir
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
and Sir
Joshua Reynolds. The statue was installed in a nearby street, Leicester Place, in 2013. This was in order to prevent damage to the sculpture during improvement works. In 2016 it returned to Leicester Square and was re-unveiled on Chaplin's birthday.
See also
* ''
Scenes in the Square'', a sculptural trail with a cinematic theme installed in Leicester Square in 2020
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Statue of Charlie Chaplin, London
1979 establishments in the United Kingdom
1979 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in the City of Westminster
Cultural depictions of Charlie Chaplin
Monuments and memorials in London
Outdoor sculptures in London
Chaplin, Charlie
Chaplin, Charlie
Portraits of actors