Public Sculpture of Outer South and West London

From the northernmost borough of Hillingdon to the southern boroughs of Kingston, Merton, and Croydon, this volume focuses on public sculpture in the eight boroughs of outer south and west London. Of the three hundred monuments detailed, most were commissioned by aristocratic patrons to adorn private residences, among them Lord Burlington’s Chiswick House and Hampton Court Palace—famous for architectural and garden sculptures by John Van Nost, Caius Gabriel Cibber, and Edward Pierce. The nineteenth century saw private patronage replaced by public support, as ambitious programs of sculpture were launched to emphasize civic virtues. With more than two hundred illustrations, this book locates public sculpture in the context of the metropolis and offers insight into the shifting identities of the outer boroughs.