Churchill and Roosevelt - New Bond Street, London, UK
N 51° 30.626 W 000° 08.550
30U E 698283 N 5710461
This statue shows Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt sitting on a bench in New Bond Street in London's West End. The sculpture was presented to Westminster Council by the Bond Street Association to mark 50 years of peace after World War II.
Waymark Code: WMTDX5
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/08/2016
Views: 6
The statue is made from bronze and has life-size figures of Churchill and Roosevelt. Their knees have been polished to a shine by visitors sitting on them to have a photo taken with these two great men.
A brass plaque is set into the pavement that lists the Bond Street Association traders who participated in the fund raising. In addition, the plaque tells us (top left corner):
"Allies" by Lawrence Holofcener
unveiled on 2 May 1995 by
Her Royal Highness
The Princess Margaret
Countess of Snowdon
The plaque also advises (top right):
A gift from the members of
The Bond Street Association
to the City of Westminster
and the people of London
to commemorate 50 years of peace
The Atlas Obscura website tells us about the sculpture:
Bronze sculpture celebrating the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt.
When former Prime Minister Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965, Britain mourned, just as the United States had done twenty years before when President Roosevelt died suddenly while still in office. In many ways the two were very different men: Churchill was a staunch and belligerent conservative and former soldier; Roosevelt, a polio survivor, presided over the New Deal, one of the most far reaching liberal reforms in the history of the U.S. But pushed together by fate, Churchill and Roosevelt forged one of the most important relationships of the 20th century.
After the war ended in 1945, many grandiose statues were made to celebrate the two heroes, but it was intimacy that British-American sculptor Lawrence Holofcener had in mind when he created Allies. The two friends sit on a bench talking amiably, with Churchill holding his trademark cigar. Princess Margaret unveiled the statue on May 2, 1995, to commemorate fifty years of peace. It is now a popular tourist attraction as visitors can take their place among two of the 20th century’s most exalted heroes.
The American History website tells us about Franklin D Roosevelt:
Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945) served as America's thirty-second president of the United States. He was elected to an unprecedented four terms and served during the Great Depression and World War II.
The Biography website tells us about Winston Churchill:
As prime minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Churchill rallied the British people during WWII, and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory.