This is a list of public art in Soho, a district in the City of Westminster, London. Soho is an area first developed in the 1670s which, since the construction of theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue in the 19th century, has had a strong association with the entertainment industry.[1]
In the south of the district stands Leicester Square, the public sculpture of which has had an eventful history. From 1748 the square had as its centrepiece an equestrian figure of George I, but this deteriorated and was sold off at the beginning of the following century.[2] In 1874 the square was bought by Albert Grant, a company promoter and MP, who had its gardens made over to a design by James Knowles.[3] This refurbishment saw the installation of the Shakespeare fountain and busts of four historical residents of the locale: Isaac Newton, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds and John Hunter. Each of these busts was positioned near the site of its subject's former home.[2] The busts were severely damaged by inept restoration work in the 1990s.[4]
A renovation of Leicester Square carried out between 2010 and 2012 was criticised for its removal of all the sculptures on the square except for that of Shakespeare.[5] The 1981 statue of Charlie Chaplin which had been displaced as a result of these works returned to the square in 2016.[6] In 2020, Chaplin's statue was joined by several others also on the theme of cinema, which together comprise the sculptural trail Scenes in the Square.[7]
Map of public art in Soho
Image
Title / subject
Location andcoordinates
Date
Artist / designer
Architect / other
Type
Designation
Notes
More images
Originally formed the crowning element of a fountain at the centre of Soho Square. In 1875, the badly weathered statue was moved to the garden of Grim's Dyke, Harrow Weald, later the home of W. S. Gilbert. It was returned to the square in 1938, according to the wishes of Gilbert's widow.[8]
A statue of an allegorical figure in Roman costume, made for Cannons, the seat of the Duke of Chandos in Little Stanhope, Middlesex. An anonymous bidder bought the statue at the sale of the house's contents and erected it in Golden Square as "George II" on 14 March 1753.[9]
Unveiled 3 July 1874. Based on William Kent and Scheemakers's memorial to the Bard in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey. The scroll held by the figure of Shakespeare bears a quotation from Twelfth Night (Act 4, Scene 2): there is/ no darkness/ but/ ignorance[13]
Unveiled 29 June 1893. Gilbert criticised contemporary statues for being too literal and inartistic, and chose instead to symbolise Lord Shaftesbury's philanthropy with an allegorical figure.[15] This was intended to represent Anteros or "The Angel of Christian Charity", but it became popularly identified with the Greek god's twin brother Eros.
Unveiled 5 December 1910. The street between the statue and the National Portrait Gallery, formerly Green Street, was renamed in the actor's honour in 1938. The formal gardens were laid out, with railings bearing the monogram HI, for the Festival of Britain in 1951; these were unveiled by Laurence Olivier.[19]
Sam House was the landlord of the pub on this site, which he named The Intrepid Fox to express his admiration for the statesman. The relief shows Fox and House, the latter holding a placard inscribed champion/ of the/ people, standing in front of the 18th-century pub.[23]
A gift to the City of Westminster from Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the clock originally adorned the Swiss Centre on this street. In 2008 the site was redeveloped, and as a condition of planning approval the Glockenspiel was retained and redesigned as a freestanding clock.[34] Re-inaugurated 28 November 2011.[35][36]
Wooden post with shields of the Swiss cantons attached
—
An antique inn sign, given by Switzerland in May 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The street was given its current name on 15 April 1991, on the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation.[37]
Unveiled 16 April 1981, the 92nd anniversary of Chaplin's birth, by Ralph Richardson. A slightly modified version was erected in Vevey, the Swiss town Chaplin made his home, the following year.[38] The London statue has been moved multiple times within Leicester Square and the vicinity; it was unveiled on its current site on 16 April 2016.[6]
The mosaics on the Central line platforms are replete with references to the neighbourhood above ground, particularly its shops selling books, musical instruments and electronics, whereas those on the two Northern line platforms are abstract in design. The mosaics between the entrance and the platforms were the final part of the scheme to be completed.[39][40] During construction work for the Elizabeth line in 2017, 5% of the mosaics were removed and the remainder restored. The detached panels were given to the Edinburgh College of Art, in Paolozzi's birthplace.[41]
Unveiled 29 October 1985 by the Duke of Gloucester at the formal opening of Chinatown. A gift from the People's Republic of China.[42]
Ode to the West Wind
17 Noel Street
51°30′53″N0°08′13″W / 51.514810°N 0.137001°W / 51.514810; -0.137001 (Ode to the West Wind)
1989
Louise Vines and the London Wall Mural Group
—
Mural
—
Inspired by the eponymous poem of 1819 by Percy Bysshe Shelley, who lived around the corner in 15 Poland Street; the mutilated tree is also a reference to the Great Storm of 1987. Originally proposed in 1986 by the Soho Jazz Festival, which then abandoned the commission; it was subsequently taken up by The Soho Society.[43]
51°30′46″N0°08′18″W / 51.512730°N 0.138236°W / 51.512730; -0.138236 (The Spirit of Soho)
1991
FreeForm Arts Trust
—
Mural
—
Saint Anne, as patroness of Soho, is portrayed in a dress bearing a map of the district. At her feet are gathered several former residents, including Casanova and Marx. Six smaller scenes depict forms of work and leisure characteristic of the area. Restored in 2006.[44]
The sculptor wished to create "a classical statue with a contemporary twist" and add to the small number of statues of black women in London. Inspirations for the work include Art Nouveau, fairy paintings by Atkinson Grimshaw and drag queens in Soho.[48][49]
Vital Signs
Quadrant 3, corner of Brewer Street and Sherwood Street
A pattern of alternating circle and diamond shapes, 2.4m in height and diameter.[52] The first phase of the redevelopment of the station, the entrance and ticket hall on Oxford Street, opened in January 2015.[53]
Unveiled 7 November 2016, the 75th anniversary of Pick's death.[55] A sequence of words found by the artists on a note in Pick's personal papers is inscribed with bronze letters in the Johnston typeface commissioned by him. To the right, Pick's name appears in the London Underground roundel.[56]
^Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1966). "Leicester Square Area: Leicester Estate". Survey of London: volumes 33 and 34: St Anne Soho. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^Godwin, Richard (30 May 2012). "Don't banish the great men from Leicester Square". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^ abWestminster City Council to unveil statue to film icon Charlie Chaplin in Leicester Square. Westminster City Council. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
^"Celebrate 100 years of cinema with this interactive sculpture trail in Leicester Square". Time Out. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^Minogue, Tim. "Soho, farewell then?." Cornerstone. Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1963). "Golden Square Area: Golden Square Garden". Survey of London: volumes 31 and 32: St James Westminster, Part 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^"St Ann's Churchyard, Soho". Metropolitan Drinking Fountain & Cattle Trough Association Cattle Troughs and Drinking Fountains. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
^Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1963). "The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain". Survey of London: volumes 31 and 32: St James Westminster, Part 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^Banerjee, Jacqueline; Landow, George P. "Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross, London". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
^"Relief: Sam House". London Remembers. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
^"Mayflower weather vane, Liberty Store (London, 1924)". Voyaging Through History: The Mayflower & Britain. University of Exeter. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^Powers, Alan (January 2015). Foyles, formerly St Martin's School of Art, London. Twentieth Century Society. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
^Devitt, Tim (30 March 2010). "French Protestant Church". Soho Memories. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
^Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1963). "Golden Square Area: Warwick Street". Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32, St James Westminster, Part 2. London: Institute of Historical Research. pp. 167–173. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^"Art". Notre Dame de France. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
^Spencer, Robin (January 2009). "Paolozzi, Sir Eduardo Luigi (1924–2005)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/95757. Retrieved 31 August 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^Paolozzi Restoration at Tottenham Court Road station. Art on the Underground. February 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
^"Chinese lions". London Remembers. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
^Ode to the West Wind. London Mural Preservation Society. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
^"Spirit of Soho Mural". London Remembers. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
^The Four Bronze Horses of Helios. The Fountain Society. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
^"The Quadrant Timelines". Modus Operandi. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
^"Selene – Hew Locke's first permanent work in London". ARC Magazine. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^"base2stay™ Hotel, London". e-architect. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^"The Quadrant Vital Signs". Modus Operandi. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
^Barry, Frances (19 June 2017). "Tony Cragg, Group". Walks of Art. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
^Tottenham Court Road Commission. Art on the Underground. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
^Fitzgerald, Miranda (20 January 2015). "Hawkins\Brown and Daniel Buren's Op-Art tube station". on office. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
^Shaida Walking. 2015. Lumiere Festival. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
^Craig, Zoe (7 November 2016). "Frank Pick Roundel Unveiled At Piccadilly Circus". Londonist. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^Parsons, Elly (7 November 2016). "Train of thought: artists Langlands & Bell celebrate Frank Pick's design philosophy". Wallpaper. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^Wilkinson, Sam (6 January 2017). Blackbird (the persistence of vision). InSite Arts. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
^"Acclaimed artist, Kristjana S Williams, returns to Carnaby to launch public mural and seasonal pop-up". Westminster Extra. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
^"London is a Forest is a weird public artwork above a pub". ianVisits. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003). London 6: Westminster. The Buildings of England. London and New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09595-1.
Gleichen, Lord Edward (1973). London's Open-Air Statuary. Bath: Cedric Chivers Ltd.
Matthews, Peter (2018). London's Statues and Monuments. Oxford: Shire Publications. ISBN 978-1-78442-256-1.
Paolozzi, Eduardo (1984). Robinson, Marlee (ed.). Eduardo Paolozzi: Private Vision—Public Art. London: Architectural Association Publications. ISBN 978-0904503500.
Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 14. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-84631-691-3.