How Many Statues of Black People Are in the UK? The Answer is Shocking.
The summer of 2020 sparked a global conversation, and in the UK, it pulled a long-overdue topic from the footnotes of history into the national spotlight. The killing of George Floyd in the US and the subsequent toppling of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol forced a nationwide reckoning with Britain’s past.
But this debate was never just about removing the monuments of slave traders. It also exposed a deeper, more glaring question: Who are we not celebrating?
As we look around our public squares, town centres, and parks, whose faces do we see? And, more importantly, whose are missing?
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, suggested that rather than just removing statues, we should erect new ones to commemorate the roles minorities have played in British history, from the Windrush Generation to Stephen Lawrence.
This begs the question: What is our starting point? How many statues of black people does the UK actually have?
The answer is shockingly low.
The Hard Numbers: A Stark Lack of Representation
If you’re looking for a simple, exact answer, you won’t find one. There is no single, central database of every public statue in the UK. They are generally approved and commissioned at a local level.
However, researchers and organisations have compiled data that paints a very clear picture.
The BBC’s Reality Check team analysed several sources, including the thousands of listings from the Public Monuments & Sculpture Association (PMSA), to find an answer.
Here’s what they found:
Of 610 public statues of identifiable named people in the PMSA database, only three are of black individuals.
Two of those are of Nelson Mandela. The third is of Desmond Tutu, which is located inside Lewisham Town Hall, not in a public square.
This database is incomplete and relies on volunteer work, so it is missing some newer statues. To get a clearer picture, researchers also analysed 175 named statues built across the UK since 2007.
Of these, 21 were of black and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals. Only 11 of those were of black individuals.
When all sources are combined, the best estimate is that…
There are at least 15 outdoor statues of named black individuals in the entire United Kingdom.
Who Are We Honouring? The Few Black Statues That Exist
So, who are these 15 or so individuals?
When we dig deeper, the number of Black Britons honoured is even smaller. Many of the statues celebrate internationally renowned figures, like Nelson Mandela.
When it comes to Black Britons who lived, worked, and shaped this country, the list is vanishingly small.
Of the 11 statues erected since 2007, only six are of Black Britons:
- Mary Seacole: The celebrated Crimean War nurse.
- Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson & Laurie Cunningham: A statue in West Bromwich honours the “Three Degrees,” trailblazing black footballers.
- Laurie Cunningham: Has a second statue at Leyton Orient.
- Dame Kelly Holmes: The Olympic gold medallist.
- Walter Tull: The footballer and first black officer to lead white British soldiers in battle.
- Arthur Wharton: The first black professional footballer.
Other notable statues not in the main database include one of the poet and playwright Alfred Fagon in Bristol.
There are also important sculptures that are not of “named” individuals. The “Platforms Piece” in Brixton, created in 1986, is thought to be the first statue of black British people in the UK, depicting a man, woman, and child.
The Glaring Contrast: Statues of Slave Traders
This lack of representation becomes even more stark when you compare it to another category: statues of those involved in the slave trade.
A review of the same historic listings identified at least 15 statues of individuals who directly profited from and personally invested in the slave trade.
This list includes:
- Edward Colston (now removed in Bristol)
- Robert Milligan (now removed in London)
- Sir Robert Clayton (who has three statues)
- Thomas Guy (investor in the South Seas Company)
- Sir John Cass
This is not a complete list. It doesn’t include the many other individuals who profited from or supported the trade in less direct ways. For example, there are at least six statues of Prime Minister William Gladstone, the son of a slave owner who helped his father secure compensation when slavery was abolished.
The data suggests we have at least as many, if not more, statues dedicated to men who profited from slavery as we do to named black individuals in the entire UK.
Beyond Statues: The Story of Blue Plaques
This issue of representation extends beyond statues. The famous “blue plaque” scheme, which identifies buildings with connections to notable figures, tells a similar story.
- In London: English Heritage is responsible for 950 plaques. It says less than 4% are dedicated to black and Asian people.
- In Scotland: Of Historic Environment Scotland’s 88 plaques, only one is dedicated to a black person: the African-American anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass.
- In Northern Ireland: The Ulster History Circle manages a similar scheme, of which one plaque commemorates Dr. Ernest Grail Armattoe, a black physician.
English Heritage has stated it has a “strong list of BAME plaques awaiting installation,” such as the one for Bob Marley erected in 2019.
Why Representation in Public Art Matters
This isn’t just a numbers game. The statues and monuments we erect in our public spaces are a reflection of what and who we, as a society, deem worthy of celebration. They are symbols of our values.