Statue of Abraham Lincoln

The controversial statue of American legend Abraham Lincoln.

Location: Parliament Square, Westminster

Description: This statue erected in July 1920 and unveiled by the Duke of Connaught is a replica of the Lincoln Statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago by Dublin born sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It celebrates the great links between the UK and the US.

Abraham Lincoln, a great statesman in the United States but also a man with direct family links to Norfolk and the East of England. Lincoln was a great reformer and opposed the expansion of the practice of slavery in the United States. Nicknamed the Great Emancipator, Abe Lincoln was the first Republican President and oversaw the Union effort in the American Civil War.

The statue was originally to be erected in 1914 but due to the break out of war te project got shelved and was revisited in 1919 when controversy broke out. Another Lincoln statue, this time George Gray Barnard's in Cincinatti, was touted as the best. A war of words broke out that divided artists and experts and the original proposal won out.

Tours: Weird photo ops

Tours: London 2012

Tours: American Tour of London

Themes: Sculpture Sculpture Theme