Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain
The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, more commonly known as the statue of Eros, is one of London's most recognisable and beloved landmarks, standing at the heart of Piccadilly Circus in the West End. Though the winged figure is popularly identified as Eros, the Greek god of love, the sculptor Alfred Gilbert intended it to represent the Angel of Christian Charity, created in honour of the great Victorian philanthropist Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. The fountain was unveiled in 1893 and quickly became an icon not only of London but of British popular culture more broadly, appearing in countless films, photographs, and artworks over the decades. Its central position in one of the busiest and most vibrant intersections in Europe makes it a natural gathering point for visitors and locals alike, and few landmarks in the city carry quite the same sense of emotional and cultural weight.
The commission arose from a public campaign to commemorate the Earl of Shaftesbury following his death in 1885. Shaftesbury had devoted much of his life to reforming child labour laws, improving conditions in factories and mines, and championing the welfare of London's poorest citizens, and the memorial committee wanted a monument that reflected the spirit of his charitable work rather than the more conventional portrait statues of the Victorian era. Alfred Gilbert, then a rising star of British sculpture, accepted the commission and produced something genuinely revolutionary. He cast the figure in aluminium, which was at the time an extremely novel and expensive material, making the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain the first significant aluminium statue in the world. Gilbert reportedly struggled financially throughout his life partly as a result of this commission, as the costs exceeded what the committee was willing to pay, and he eventually fled to Bruges to escape his creditors before returning to England later in life.
In person, the memorial has a quality that photographs often fail to capture. The aluminium figure, mounted atop a tall octagonal base of red granite and bronze, catches the light differently depending on the time of day and the season, sometimes gleaming silver-white in bright sunshine and at other times appearing darker and more subdued under London's frequently overcast skies. The winged figure is caught mid-flight, bow raised, embodying a sense of dynamic movement and joyful energy. The basin at the base, with its elaborate bronze fish and shell decorations, was originally a working fountain, though the water flow has at various times been turned off or modified. The surrounding steps and the low basin rim have long served as informal seating for tourists and Londoners resting weary feet.
Piccadilly Circus itself, which surrounds the memorial on all sides, is a sensory experience of considerable intensity. The famous illuminated advertising hoardings on the curved building to the north — now entirely LED screens — cast colourful, constantly shifting light across the area after dark, making an evening visit feel particularly atmospheric and distinctly different from a daytime one. The sounds are those of one of the world's great urban crossroads: the rumble of buses, the chatter of dozens of languages, street performers, and the general roar of a city that never quite stops moving. Despite the commercial bustle, the memorial itself retains a certain dignity, its elevated position ensuring that the figure of the Angel is always visible above the heads of the crowds below.
The surrounding area is extraordinarily rich in things to see and do. Regent Street curves away to the north, lined with grand Victorian architecture and major retailers. To the south and east, the streets of St James's lead toward royal London, including St James's Palace and Green Park. The Theatre District of the West End is within easy walking distance, as is the shopping and dining of Covent Garden, Soho's restaurants and cultural institutions, and the galleries of nearby Burlington House, which houses the Royal Academy of Arts. The area is also superbly connected by public transport, with Piccadilly Circus Underground station, served by the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines, located directly beneath and adjacent to the circus.
For practical visiting, the memorial is accessible at any hour of the day or night and there is no admission charge. The best times to appreciate the fountain without overwhelming crowds are early morning on weekdays or in the late evening, when the illuminated screens create a dramatic backdrop. The statue has periodically been removed for restoration and cleaning, most notably during the Second World War when it was taken away for safekeeping and not returned until 1947, and it has undergone subsequent conservation work, so it is always worth checking whether it is in situ before making a special journey. The area around Piccadilly Circus is very wheelchair accessible, with level pavements and step-free access to the Underground station via lift.
One of the more persistent myths about the memorial is that the figure is definitely Eros, and generations of Londoners have grown up with this misidentification so deeply embedded that it now feels almost rude to correct it. Gilbert himself was frustrated by the confusion during his lifetime. Another lesser-known detail is that the octagonal base contains a drinking fountain on each of its faces, reflecting the Victorian temperance movement's enthusiasm for providing free clean water as an alternative to alcohol. The Earl of Shaftesbury himself was connected to the temperance cause, and this functional, philanthropic purpose embedded directly into the monument's structure was entirely deliberate. Today the drinking fountains are not operational, but they remain clearly visible to anyone who looks closely at the base, a quiet reminder that this celebrated piece of public sculpture was always intended as a working, useful gift to the people of London rather than purely a decorative object.