In this artwork, how is the History discussed?
In the 1950s, David Eccles, then Minister of Works, showed Churchill plans for the redevelopment of Parliament Square. Churchill drew a circle in the north-east corner and declared: "That is where my statue will go." The statue that was eventually installed was first suggested by John Tilney, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree, in a parliamentary question in 1968. Initial estimates by the sponsors of the Winston Churchill Statue Appeal put the cost of the statue at £30,000. The sponsors of the appeal included Edward Heath, Lord Mountbatten, Lord Portal, and Baroness Elliot. The sum of £32,000 was raised by 4,500 individuals who are listed in a book which was deposited in the library at Chartwell on Churchill's birthday, 30 November 1973. The statue was cast by the Meridian Foundry of Peckham Rye, London.The statue was unveiled on 1 November 1973 by Clementine, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, Winston Churchill's widow. Queen Elizabeth II had declined to unveil the statue herself, indicating that she thought it right that Lady Spencer-Churchill should do so, although the Queen did attend the ceremony, and gave a speech in which she mentioned that Churchill had turned down a dukedom because he wanted to spend his remaining years in the House of Commons. Union Flags covered the statue, which were removed as a cord was pulled. Others present at the unveiling included The Queen Mother, members of the Churchill family across four generations, Edward Heath (then Prime Minister) and four former Prime Ministers. The Band of the Royal Marines played several of Churchill's favourite pieces of music.In 2008, the statue was grade II listed.An animation of the statue is included in the film short Happy and Glorious, made for and shown at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.The statue has been defaced on a number of occasions during protests held in Parliament Square. In 2000, at the May Day protest the statue was sprayed with red paint to give the appearance of blood dripping from its mouth and a strip of turf was placed on top of the head, giving the appearance of a mohican or punk rocker hairstyle. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, protesters sprayed graffiti on it over two successive days, including, following the inscription "Churchill", the words "was a racist". As a result the statue was temporarily covered up to preserve it from further vandalism. A number of statues around the country, including that of Churchill, became part of a debate about whether they should remain on public display or not, and, if so, under what conditions. In October 2020, Benjamin Clark was fined £200 and ordered to pay £1,200 compensation for the vandalism.
punk rocker Queen Elizabeth II opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics grade II listed mohican Baroness Elliot Edward Heath Band of the Royal Marines Minister of Works Winston Churchill Lord Mountbatten Union Flag Clementine, Baroness Spencer-Churchill May Day duke The Queen Mother Liverpool Wavertree London John Tilney Elizabeth II protest Lord Portal Parliament Square David Eccles Churchill, Winston George Floyd protests Chartwell parliamentary question Peckham Rye