Consider this: A king stands here. It is not just any king, it is Charles II. He is immortalized in this statue. The statue of Charles II in Soho Square. He has stood here for centuries, in one form or another.
Originally called King Square in his honor, Soho Square was laid out in the 1670s during his reign. The square’s design was influenced by European baroque ideas, mirroring the formal place royale tradition of France. In the heart of this square, a formal garden was established. At its center stood a fountain, installed in 1681.
The statue of Charles II stood proudly above four river god statues. They represented the Thames, Severn, Humber and Tyne. Caius Cibber likely saw Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Rome. The fountain was a modest imitation of it. Cibber probably visited Rome in the 1660s to study sculpture.
Edward Walford described the statue’s base as elaborate. Figures of an old man and a young virgin adorned the south side. A naked virgin reclined on a fish on the west. An old man rested on a coal-bed to the north. Another aged man with a shell was on the east. Water flowed from jugs into a large basin. A windmill in Rathbone Place pumped it.
But time took its toll. By the early 19th century, the statue of Charles II was in a wretched state. Inscriptions were illegible. The basin was filled. It was converted into an unattractive flower-bed.
Major changes occurred in 1875-6. The deteriorated statue was removed and the fountain demolished. Thomas Blackwell, of Crosse & Blackwell, rescued the statue. He gave it to artist Frederick Goodall, who installed it at his house. The house was near Harrow Weald. Goodall noted its mysterious appearance in the twilight.
Playwright W. S. Gilbert later purchased the property. Even after Gilbert’s death in 1911, the statue remained. Crosse & Blackwell requested its return, but Gilbert ignored them. Finally, Gilbert’s widow bequeathed the statue to the square’s upkeep committee. It was moved back to Soho Square in 1938. It now stands a short distance north of its original site.
The statue shows Charles standing. His left hand rests on his hip. His head turns to the right. He wears a long wig. He is clad in body and thigh armor and a long cloak. He once held a baton in his right hand. The pedestal’s inscription became illegible by 1815. Some thought it represented the Duke of Monmouth. The Duke was Charles’ favored son. By the 1920s, the statue was described as black with age.
Decorative carvings adorn the pedestal. A crown surmounts scroll motifs on the front and rear. Each side features a crown surmounting crossed sceptres and a decorative ribbon.
Today, both statue and pedestal are in poor condition. Erosion is evident, especially around the face and right arm. The baton is gone. The original face has been replaced with a mask-like substitute. The left arm and leg are broken. The statue was covered in a concrete wash before 1987. It has since worn away.
The statue of Charles II serves as a major plot device in Patrick Marber’s 2017 production of Don Juan in Soho. David Tennant starred. The statue’s journey reflects London’s ever-changing landscape. It serves as a silent witness to history. It connects us to the past. It invites us to reflect on the reigns and the stories etched in stone.