The Portland Stone Queen of Westminster

Perched at No. 15 Queen Anne’s Gate, in the thorny Westminster, London, sits an enigmatic Grade I listed statue of Queen Anne, sculpted from Portland stone. The statue portrays Queen Anne adorned in a brocaded skirt, bodice, unfurled cloak, a tiny crown, and a pendant orb and sceptre. Originally placed in Queen Square in 1705, the statue now finds itself on a plinth bearing the inscription ANNA REGINA. Much like the artist who created it, the identity of the sculptor and the year of creation remain concealed in the shadows of history.

The statue's poor condition was due in large part to local children's mistaken belief that it represented the ill-reputed Queen Mary, leading them to assail it with missiles. In 1862, the sculptor John Thomas was hired to repair the statue, replacing a lost nose and right arm and adding the inscription to the pedestal to curb the children's puerile outrage. A peculiar tale whispered in the winds tells of the statue climbing down and walking three times up and down the street on the anniversary of Queen Anne’s death.

At some point in the early 19th century, the statue was moved to a new position in the square, and it was later moved to its present position in 1873 when the dividing wall between two streets was demolished to form the present Queen Anne's Square.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons