Statue of Samuel Johnson
| Dr Samuel Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald |
| Completion date | 1910 |
| Subject | Samuel Johnson |
| Location | London |
| 51°30′48″N 0°06′49″W / 51.5132°N 0.1135°W | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Statue of Doctor Johnson in Churchyard at East End of St Clement Danes |
| Designated | 24 February 1958 |
| Reference no. | 1237100 |
The statue of Samuel Johnson is a Grade II listed statue on the Strand in the Churchyard of St Clement Danes church in London.[1]
Samuel Johnson was a writer and lexicographer most famous for his dictionary, who lived and worked nearby on Fleet Street, a location renowned for its historic connection to print houses. It was in his house in Gough Square that Johnson wrote his dictionary. St Clement Danes was a church frequented by Johnson.[2][3]
The statue was designed by Percy FitzGerald and was inspired by a portrait of Johnson by Sir Joshua Reynolds. As in Reynolds's portrait, the statue similarly shows Johnson with a full-bottomed wig; he also holds a book in his left hand with an inkwell at his feet. The front of the plinth on which he stands has a portrait in relief of his biographer James Boswell.[2] A marble statue of Johnson also stands inside St Paul's Cathedral, the first statue to be placed in the church.[4] In 1995 the book in Johnson's hand was stolen and replaced by a replica made by Faith Winter, who was also the sculptor of two statues at the western front of St Clement Danes.
References
- ^ "Statue of Doctor Johnson in Churchyard at East End of St Clement Danes, Non Civil Parish – 1237100 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ a b Matthews, Peter (2012). London's statues and monuments. Shire library. Oxford: Shire Publications. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-0-7478-0798-8.
- ^ Baker, Margaret (2002). Discovering London statues and monuments. Discovering series (5. ed., revised and updated ed.). Princes Risborough: Shire Publications. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-7478-0495-6.
- ^ Blackwood, John; Irwin, Caroline, eds. (1989). London's immortals: the complete outdoor commemorative statues (1. publ ed.). London: Savoy Pr. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-9514296-0-0.
External links
- Media related to Statue of Samuel Johnson, London at Wikimedia Commons