Byron is home again
London's Lord Byron memorial has been rescued from a traffic island, restored, relocated, and returned to public view.
Together with the Byron Society, we have unveiled the restored Lord Byron statue in its new home in Hyde Park, marking the culmination of a major conservation and relocation project. This is the only public statue of Lord Byron in England, and it can now be enjoyed by everyone once more at an easily accessible spot near Hyde Park's Victoria Gate.
We are proud to have supported the restoration spearheaded by the Byron Society, and made possible by a generous grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and support from Byron enthusiasts all over the world, including the family of Byron’s publisher, John Murray. The Heritage of London Trust, supported by the Jones Day Foundation, has also introduced 700 young people from across London to Byron’s legacy through our Proud Places programme. The restoration was carried out by conservators PAYE, working closely with HOLT.
The statue was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Patron of Heritage of London Trust, who spoke at the event alongside Greek Ambassador Yannis Tsaousis - a fitting reminder of Byron's enduring significance to both Britain and Greece.
Nicola Stacey, Director of the Heritage of London Trust, said: "There's really nothing more satisfying than rescuing a famous London landmark from the very beginning - to see it restored, to learn about Lord Byron, to reflect on his legacy, and then have it relocated and opened to the public for anyone to access."
Lord Robin Byron, President of the Byron Society, said: "Our sincere hope is that the statue will encourage people to explore Byron's poetry and also his letters, which are so accessible and give a brilliant insight into his engaging personality and fascinating inner life."
George Gordon Byron is regarded as one of the greatest poets in the English language and one of the most famous men of his age. A Romantic poet and satirist, he captured imaginations worldwide through his poetry, his personality, and ultimately his death fighting for Greek independence. His works, from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage to Don Juan, remain widely studied and quoted today, and he has endured as a symbol of liberty - a scandalous figure in his own time who later became an icon for wider movements. He supported Italian and Greek fights for freedom before dying of fever in Missolonghi in 1824, aged 36. In Greece he is still honoured as a folk hero, with 19 April marked as a national holiday.
As part of our Proud Places engagement work, we organised a poetry competition for Year 8 students at Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith. Every Year 8 pupil took part in a poetry workshop introducing them to the Byron Memorial Statue project and to examples of Byron's own writing. Then, guided by HOLT’s 2024 Poet for Places, Kira Nelson, the students wrote original poems inspired by Byron, which Kira then judged. The winning entry, Reminiscing Thee, was written by Bea Macaraeg - who read her poem to the guests at the unveiling.
Byron now sits - book in hand, his dog Boatswain at his side - at an open, easily accessible spot at the top of West Carriage Drive, between Buckhill Playground and Victoria Gate in Hyde Park, London W2 2UH.
Watch the restoration documentary at byronmemorialstatue.com.
