4/9/07

Relocation, Relocation: Mandela Placed

The new statue of Nelson Mandela now installed in Parliament Square, London greatly enhances this key location for tributes to the great and good, and marks the fresh growth of democracy on the African continent in the 21st century. The presence of Mandela himself at the unveiling, aged 89, added to the significance of the occasion. The sculpture is the work of the late Ian Walters, and had at first been intended for Trafalgar Square. The decision of Westminster City Council that it did not suit that location, supported by a planning appeal decision, has led to the relocation by general approval to Parliament Square.