Statue of John Cass

The statue of John Cass is lead figure designed by Louis-François Roubiliac of the English merchant and Member of Parliament, John Cass (1661–1718). The original statue of 1751 now stands in the Guildhall in London, and a number of copies stand in various places, including a fibreglass replica at the John Cass Institute in Jewry Street, installed in 1998.[1]

Statue of John Cass
The original statue in the Guildhall, 2014
ArtistLouis-François Roubiliac
Year1751
SubjectJohn Cass
LocationGuildhall, City of London

In June 2020, during the anti-racism protests in Britain following the killing of George Floyd in the United States, many controversial statues became the target of attacks and scrutiny. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm in order to review statues and monuments in the city. The statues of John Cass have been included in the review due to his involvement in the slave trade.[2][3][4]

History

The Sir John Cass Foundation commissioned the original statue in 1751. It stood for many years on Aldgate High Street, before being relocated to the John Cass Institute in Jewry Street in 1869. The statue was finally relocated to the Guildhall in 1980.[5]

Following the removal to the Guildhall, a fibreglass replica was created, which now stands in the niche of the John Cass Institute in Jewry Street. The replica has stood since 1998.

A number of further copies have been made, one of which stands in the entrance lobby of the London Metropolitan University. Another statue which stood at the University of East London in Newham was removed on 11 June 2020 following the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom.[6]

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See also

References
  1. "SIR JOHN CASS SCHOOL, City and County of the City of London – 1285969 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. "The Cass School of Art will be renamed to remove slave-trader connection". The Spaces. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  3. Sheridan, Ed (10 June 2020). "Council announces review of statues and place names as calls go out for change". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  4. Paton, Callum; Dutton, Jack (10 June 2020). "Top 10 colonial landmarks in the sights of Europe's BLM protesters". The National. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. Walker, Peter (10 June 2020). "Tory councils under pressure to review monuments linked to slavery". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. Alderman, Geoffrey (10 June 2020). "Never mind Cecil Rhodes: These statues must go!". Jewish News. Retrieved 11 June 2020.

Further reading
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