The Statue of Yuri Gagarin in Greenwich, London, is a zinc statue depicting the cosmonaut wearing a spacesuit and standing on top of a globe. The 3.5-metre (11 ft) high statue is a replica of an original by Anatoly Novikov in Lyubertsy, where Gagarin was trained as a foundry worker.[1][2] It was a gift to the British Council from the Russian space agency Roscosmos as a part of several cultural events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight.
The figure was originally unveiled on 14 July 2011 at a temporary location in the Mall, close to Admiralty Arch and facing the statue of Captain James Cook.[3] This location was chosen as it was where Gagarin first met the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.[4] It was later moved to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, at a site overlooking the Prime Meridian line, and was unveiled at the new location on 7 March 2013.[2][5] There had been an unsuccessful proposal to move it to Manchester.[6]
See also
- Monument to Yuri Gagarin – large statue in Moscow
References
- ^ Kennedy, Maev (14 July 2011). "Yuri Gagarin statue unveiled in London". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Maev (3 October 2012). "Yuri Gagarin statue to take up residence at Royal Observatory". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ "Yuri Gagarin Statue Unveiled On The Mall". Londonist. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (14 July 2011). "Gagarin statue unveiled in London". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ "Gagarin Monument Moved from London's Mall to Greenwich". RIA Novosti. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Manchester bid to give Yuri Gagarin statue a home". BBC News. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
External links
Media related to Statue of Yuri Gagarin, London at Wikimedia Commons
51°28′38″N 0°00′08″W / 51.47731°N 0.002345°W
