Statue of James Henry Greathead, London facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Statue of James Henry Greathead |
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The statue
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| Artist | James Butler |
| Subject | James Henry Greathead |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| 51°30′48″N 0°05′17″W / 51.51334°N 0.08795°W | |
The statue of James Henry Greathead is a cool sculpture in London, England. It was created by the artist James Butler. You can find it outside the Royal Exchange. This statue is not just a piece of art; it also hides a ventilation shaft for the underground. It was put up in 1994 on a traffic island in the middle of Cornhill. Cars drive around it, much like another famous statue of Prince Albert at Holborn Circus. The London Troops War Memorial is also very close by.
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Who Was James Greathead?
James Henry Greathead was a smart civil engineer from South Africa. He is most famous for his important work on the railway lines that are now part of the London Underground. Greathead was a key engineer for the London (City) & Southwark Subway. This subway line later became the City and South London Railway and is now part of the Northern line. There's even a station near the statue called Bank that is on this line.
What Does the Statue Look Like?
The statue is made of bronze and shows Greathead with a beard. He is wearing a wide-brimmed hat, which reminds people of his South African background. He has a coat over his right arm and is holding a piece of paper, as if he is reading it. The statue stands on a hollow, oval base made of Portland stone, with a granite bottom.
Special Details on the Base
On one side of the base, there is a bronze plaque. This plaque shows a tunnelling shield. An inscription on the plaque gives credit to Greathead. It says he was the "inventor of the travelling shield that made possible the cutting of the tunnels of London's deep level tube system". This tunnelling shield was a very important invention. It helped build the deep tunnels for London's underground trains. A part of a real tunnelling shield used at Bank station was found during some repair work. You can still see it today, painted red, in a passageway leading to the Waterloo & City line. The other side of the statue's base has a stone badge carved into it. This badge represents the City & South London Railway.
The Hidden Ventilation Shaft
If you look closely between the statue and its base, you can see metal grilles. These are part of a ventilation shaft. This vent was put in at Bank Junction to make sure the underground areas were safe. New safety rules were made after the King's Cross fire in 1987. The statue was officially revealed by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Paul Newell, on January 17, 1994.
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This plaque shows the special tunnelling shield and explains Greathead's invention.
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This is the badge of the City & South London Railway, carved into the statue's base.
