The statue of

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, London, is a bronze

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

by Sir

Francis Legatt Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

. It depicts the King dressed in ancient Roman attire and riding bareback. The sculpture was originally designed to sit on top of the

Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash (architect), John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near th ...

at the entrance to

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, but was placed in its current location following the King's death.

History

Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey originally designed the statue to stand on top of

in its original position as the entrance to

, following architecture work by John Nash.

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career He was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

took over the work, and his redesign to reduce costs removed the Chantrey statue. Chantrey's work was funded by George IV himself, rather than by public subscription. The statue was cast in 1828. George IV died in 1830, and the statue was placed on an empty plinth in

in December 1843, which was expected to be on a temporary basis, however it has remained there ever since. It was unveiled to little ceremony, with ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' describing it as "somewhat suddenly erected". It was the first statue erected on one of the pedestals, which were installed three years earlier with architect

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respons ...

expecting them to be filled by groups of statues. An inscription was added towards the end of the 19th century as the public were no longer aware of whom it portrayed. The journalist

Janice Turner Janice Turner (born 8 April 1964) is a British journalist, and a columnist and feature writer for ''The Times''. Early life Turner was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. She went to Ridgewood School in the north of Doncaster. She attended the ...

questioned the need for a statue of George IV in Trafalgar Square in 2005; in rebuttal

Lord Baker of Dorking Kenneth Wilfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, (born 3 November 1934) is a British politician, a former Conservative Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, including holding the offices of Home Secretary, Education Secretary and Conservat ...

argued that the monarch still deserved the statue due to his town planning legacy which remained in London. In 2012, the

milliner Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of ...

Stephen Jones created crowns for both George IV and his horse to be added to the statue as part of the "Hatwalk" art project sponsored by the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

; in the project 21 milliners created new hats for famous statues around London.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, London, Monarchy, Visual arts 1843 sculptures Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom George IV of the United Kingdom Grade II listed monuments and memorials

Monuments and memorials in London Outdoor sculptures in London

Trafalgar Square 1843 in London