King George VI - The Mall, London, UK
N 51° 30.306 W 000° 08.023
30U E 698915 N 5709891
This statue is to King George VI and stands on the north west side of The Mall behind the Queen Elizabeth memorial statue.
Waymark Code: WMDE2B
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/01/2012
Views: 12
The statue of King George VI was unveiled in 1955. It
stands upon a Portland stone plinth that is in two tiers. The lower tier has the
king's coat-of-arms carved on the front and the upper tier is inscribed "King
/ George VI / 1895 - 1952". On top of the upper tier of the plinth is the
statue. This is cast from bronze and is about 150% life-size. It shows King
George VI wearing naval uniform. He is bare headed and his gaze is towards
Buckingham Palace. His left hand rests upon the hilt of a sword and his right
hand is hanging loosely down his side.
This is the king that was shown in the movie "The King's Speech".
"A memorial to King George VI was created in 1955 on
the north side of The Mall in London between Marlborough Road and Admiralty
Arch. Designed by Scottish sculptor William McMillan, it features a relatively
simple statue of the king dressed in naval uniform, standing on a plinth of
Portland stone."
Text source the
Royal web site.
From the proceedings in the Houses of Parliament on 24th June 1954
"With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I desire to make a statement about the
memorial statue to His late Majesty King George VI.
As the House knows, it was decided that part of the King George VI National
Memorial Fund should be devoted to the erection of a statue in a noble setting
in London. A committee of the Memorial Fund under the chairmanship of Sir Leslie
Boyce, then Lord Mayor of London, appointed Mr. William McMillan as the
sculptor, and Mr. Louis de Soissons as the architect. A site was chosen between
Nos. 2 and 3, Carlton Gardens overlooking the Mall, and the Commissioners of
Crown Lands are willing to make land available. The plan provides for a
staircase leading down from the Gardens to the Mall and for the statue to be
sited at the top of the stairs looking out over St. James's Park. Her Majesty
the Queen has graciously approved the scheme. The Memorial Fund is hopeful that
the statue can be unveiled towards the end of next year."
Text source "They
Work for You website".