The Minotaur sculpture, a imposing bronze beast, stares out from its terrace. It seems to be watching the bustling Guildhall School of Music and Drama across the way.
This is not the first home of the Minotaur. This sculpture, by artist Michael Ayrton, has moved around London a bit. Originally commissioned for a private maze on an estate called Catskills, it was eventually acquired by the Corporation of London. The Minotaur was first placed in Postman’s Park, where, in a twist of fate, it replaced a statue of Sir Robert Peel, a former Prime Minister.
In a move that may have caused some eyebrows to raise, the Minotaur found itself evicted from Postman’s Park in the early 2000s. Some speculate it was because its “inordinately large genitals” offended the Church, which owns the land. Although the reason for the removal remains a bit of a mystery, it made its way to the Barbican, only to be moved again when a high walk it was placed upon was demolished.
So here he is, now on this terrace, looking as eternally brooding as he did in the earlier years of his travels. He seems to have found a bit of a more permanent home here, but knowing the sculpture’s history, it’s probably only a matter of time until he moves again.