Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster : Volume 1

This book is a survey of the outdoor statuary in the area of London where national government is conducted and which includes a large proportion of what is known as the "West End". It excludes only those sculptures which were conceived as integral to buildings, for which a separate volume is planned, and covers predominantly commemorative monuments to royalty and politicians, war memorials, fountains and works of art placed in the street for public enjoyment. For each work there are one or more illustrations and catalogue details. In the case of commemorations of individuals, the brief biography preceding the entry focusses on the achievements celebrated. The entries themselves provide blow-by -blow accounts of how individual works came to be erected, with particular emphasis on the selection of artist and site. These histories are accompanied by surveys of contemporary and later critical responses, and some account of the work's "afterlife" and conservation history, particularly where any significant cha