“Brandy Nan, Brandy Nan, left in the lurch; Her face to the gin-shop, her back to the church”. These lines once mocked Queen Anne. They alluded to her fondness for strong liquor. The lines also mentioned a gin palace near the cathedral.
Here we stand before the Statue of Queen Anne. It is located in the forecourt outside St Paul’s Cathedral. This statue is not the original. It is a copy of the 1712 sculpture by Francis Bird. The original was made of Carrara marble.
Queen Anne was the ruling monarch when St Paul’s Cathedral was completed in 1710. Bird’s statue was unveiled at a thanksgiving service. The service celebrated the Peace of Utrecht on July 7, 1713. The statue cost £1,130. The Queen provided the marble. Jean Tijou created an elegant metal railing around it. Later, heavier railings replaced Tijou’s.
The original statue faced attacks. It was damaged in 1743, 1768, and 1882. Noses and arms were broken. The 1880s weather also took its toll.
Richard Claude Belt was commissioned to create a replacement in 1885. He used Sicilian marble. The Corporation of London supplied the marble at a cost of £1,800. Belt was imprisoned for fraud in March 1886. Louis-Auguste Malempré completed the sculpture. Mowlem and Sons did the building work. Sir Horace Jones supervised. Reginald Hanson, the Lord Mayor of London, unveiled the new sculpture. The date was December 15, 1886. This was the year before Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.
The Baroque sculpture shows Queen Anne standing. She faces down Ludgate Hill towards Ludgate Circus. She wears the collar of the Order of the Garter. A gilded crown adorns her head. One hand holds a gilded orb. The other holds a gilded sceptre.
The figure stands on a Portland stone pedestal. Christopher Wren designed it. Four symbolic figures decorate the corners. Britannia with a gilded trident represents England. A figure representing France has fleur-de-lys on her helmet. They hold the British Royal Coat of Arms. Figures representing Ireland and North America stand on the east side. Ireland has a harp. North America is a Native American with a feathered skirt and headdress. The figure also has a gilded bow, a quiver of arrows, and a lizard.
The pedestal has two inscriptions. The south side reads: “The Original STATUE / was erected on this spot in the year 1712 / to commemorate the completion of / SAINT PAUL’S CATHEDRAL / FRANCIS BIRD Sculptor.” The north side says: “This Replica / of the Statue of QUEEN ANNE / was erected at the expense of / The CORPORATION of LONDON / In the year 1886.”
The original statue and the four stone figures were rediscovered later. They had been abandoned in a stonemason’s yard. Augustus Hare acquired them. He installed them at his house, Holmhurst St Mary near Hastings. Queen Anne was mounted on an elliptical pedestal. The other figures were placed on steps around the base.
So, next time you pass by this statue, remember its story. It is a tale of art, scandal, and a queen’s reputed fondness for gin.