Statue of Lord Byron

Statue of Lord Byron
Artist	Richard Claude Belt
Completion date	1880
Subject	Lord Byron
Location	London
Coordinates	51°30′15″N0°09′06″W / 51.5043°N 0.1518°W / 51.5043; -0.1518
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Statue of Lord Byron
Designated	14 January 1970
Reference no.	1277504

A statue of Lord Byron is situated at Hyde Park Corner in London. It was made of bronze to the design of Richard Claude Belt and sits upon a marble plinth. The marble used to make the plinth was given as a gift by the people of Greece for Byron's participation in the Greek War of Independence. ^[1]

The monument is Grade II listed, ^[2] and commemorates the romantic poet and writer Lord Byron. He sits in a meditative pose alongside his Landseer dog Boatswain. The statue is said to poorly resemble Byron and is sometimes regarded as the "worst statue in London". ^[3]

History

Commemoration of Byron after his death was occasionally controversial, with a burial at Westminster Abbey being refused by Dean Ireland. It was not until 1875, more than five decades after the poet's death, that Benjamin Disraeli as Prime Minister called for the creation of a memorial. ^[4]

There was also controversy surrounding the extent of Belt's involvement in the creation of the statue, with a junior sculptor of Belt's studio claiming to have done significant uncredited work on its sculpting. A publication to such an effect by Charles Lawes in Vanity Fair would see Belt succeeding in suing him for libel.

In 2024, the Byron Society aimed to move the statue into Hyde Park from its island in the centre of Park Lane. Before the widening of the latter it was not separated from the main area of the park. ^[5]

References

1. Baker, Margaret (2002). Discovering London Statues and Monuments. Discovering series (5. ed., revised and updated ed.). Princes Risborough: Shire Publications. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-7478-0495-6.
2. "Statue of Lord Byron, Non Civil Parish - 1277504 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
3. Darke, Jo (1991). The Monument Guide to England and Wales: A National Portrait in Bronze and Stone. London: Macdonald Illustrated. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-356-17609-3.
4. Blackwood, John; Irwin, Caroline, eds. (1989). London's Immortals: The Complete Outdoor Commemorative Statues (1. publ ed.). London: Savoy Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN   978-0-9514296-0-0.
5. Mata, William (19 April 2024). "Byron Society looking to move secluded statue to Hyde Park". The Standard. Retrieved 24 December 2025.

External links

• Media related to Statue of Lord Byron, Hyde Park Corner at Wikimedia Commons