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Icons considered quintessentially British — including a telephone box, black cab and wellies — can be found as part of a new sculpture trail in central London.
Dotted around the area known as the 'London Heritage Quarter', the sculptures are a collaboration between Westminster City Archives and the local charity Thorney Island Society — alongside artists who've painted the sculptures in in their own style.
Each sculpture on the free trail — which is in situ from now until 4 August 2024 — also features a scannable QR code, revealing a story/insight about the area. For instance, scan the wellies in Victoria Tower Gardens, and your phone will give you an 'x-ray' visual where you can see behind Big Ben. Kids are going to go ga-ga for that.
Here's a full list of the sculptures and where to find them:
Teacup: Victoria Embankment Gardens, next to the Robert Raikes statue
Teapot: Lower Grosvenor Gardens
Taxi: King Charles Island (close to Trafalgar Square)
Telephone box: Westminster Cathedral Piazza
Postbox: Supreme Court
Bus: Strand Aldwych
Crown: St James's Park – close to the Memorial Gardens, near the coffee stand
Rain boots: Victoria Tower Gardens – end closest to the Houses of Parliament
Top hat: Whitehall Gardens – Northern end near James Outram statue
Guard: The Guards Museum, Wellington Barracks (this one's inside the museum but you can see it for free during opening hours)
Pocket Watch: QEII Centre – UN Lawn overlooking Westminster Abbey
And if sculpture trails are your thing, another has just launched as part of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week.
Heritage Summer Journey Through Time Trail, until 4 August 2024, free
All images © Mickey Lee
