Leonard Bentley
Piccadilly Circus: 1929
This is an anonymously published postcard showing yet another view of Piccadilly Circus but this time looking west from Coventry Street near the junction with the Haymarket. A familiar view but something is missing and has been missing for four years. This is the summer of 1929 and the Cole Porter Musical Review, “Wake up and Dream” has been playing at the London Pavilion since late March. It was a Charles B. Cochran production with plenty of chorus girls, the most famous song from the show was “What is this thing called love?” I believe the song was recently used on the soundtrack of one of the Fifty shades of grey films, but my favourite version is by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra also recorded the song. The whole production was transferred to Broadway in December but was not as successful as the London production because of the Wall Street Crash.
The missing thing is the drinking fountain and statue of Eros, in 1925 the London Electric Railway Company wanted to enlarge Piccadilly Underground Station and the memorial to Lord Shaftesbury had to go for at least the time being. At first the Tate Gallery was to provide a space in its garden but that fell through because of the cost, then the London County Council was to provide a space at County Hall but that fell through because of the cost. The statue was removed from Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday 18th February and put into storage until a space somewhere could be found, Westminster City Council agreed that a site in Victoria Embankment Gardens would be provided by the entrance in Villiers Street near the bandstand. The statue remained there whilst the Underground station was rebuilt, and experiments carried out by the Council and Metropolitan Police as to the best site for the traffic island and the statue in the Circus, they even mocked up the statue with wood and canvas to gauge which sight lines were best as regards traffic moving around the Circus. Further delays were caused by the London Electric Railway Company when they decided to waterproof the roof of the underground station which was a lengthy job. Finally, on the evening of Sunday 27th December 1931 the Statue and drinking fountain was reinstalled on its plinth without any ceremony or much fuss, however it was to remain there for just over a week when it was removed again for repair.
On New Year’s Eve one Hugh William McKenzie, a clerk from Lewisham joined the revellers in Piccadilly Circus and decided to climb the statue. In doing so he broke Eros’s bow and when he rocked to and fro, one of its wings.
He appeared several times at Marlborough Street Magistrates Court and was fined and ordered to pay £100 damages, far less than the actual cost, the Magistrate in his summing up recalled his own youth and some of the pranks he would sooner forget. The Statue was repaired and re-erected in late January 1932.
Piccadilly Circus: 1929
This is an anonymously published postcard showing yet another view of Piccadilly Circus but this time looking west from Coventry Street near the junction with the Haymarket. A familiar view but something is missing and has been missing for four years. This is the summer of 1929 and the Cole Porter Musical Review, “Wake up and Dream” has been playing at the London Pavilion since late March. It was a Charles B. Cochran production with plenty of chorus girls, the most famous song from the show was “What is this thing called love?” I believe the song was recently used on the soundtrack of one of the Fifty shades of grey films, but my favourite version is by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra also recorded the song. The whole production was transferred to Broadway in December but was not as successful as the London production because of the Wall Street Crash.
The missing thing is the drinking fountain and statue of Eros, in 1925 the London Electric Railway Company wanted to enlarge Piccadilly Underground Station and the memorial to Lord Shaftesbury had to go for at least the time being. At first the Tate Gallery was to provide a space in its garden but that fell through because of the cost, then the London County Council was to provide a space at County Hall but that fell through because of the cost. The statue was removed from Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday 18th February and put into storage until a space somewhere could be found, Westminster City Council agreed that a site in Victoria Embankment Gardens would be provided by the entrance in Villiers Street near the bandstand. The statue remained there whilst the Underground station was rebuilt, and experiments carried out by the Council and Metropolitan Police as to the best site for the traffic island and the statue in the Circus, they even mocked up the statue with wood and canvas to gauge which sight lines were best as regards traffic moving around the Circus. Further delays were caused by the London Electric Railway Company when they decided to waterproof the roof of the underground station which was a lengthy job. Finally, on the evening of Sunday 27th December 1931 the Statue and drinking fountain was reinstalled on its plinth without any ceremony or much fuss, however it was to remain there for just over a week when it was removed again for repair.
On New Year’s Eve one Hugh William McKenzie, a clerk from Lewisham joined the revellers in Piccadilly Circus and decided to climb the statue. In doing so he broke Eros’s bow and when he rocked to and fro, one of its wings.
He appeared several times at Marlborough Street Magistrates Court and was fined and ordered to pay £100 damages, far less than the actual cost, the Magistrate in his summing up recalled his own youth and some of the pranks he would sooner forget. The Statue was repaired and re-erected in late January 1932.