A contentious bronze statue: 'La Délivrance' in Finchley

A contentious bronze statue: 'La Délivrance' in Finchley

Delve into the passionate reactions surrounding the controversial statue La Délivrance, a landmark in Finchley.

La Délivrance is a 1914 bronze statue by the French sculptor Émile Oscar Guillaume, located in Finchley. Commissioned as a tribute to the First Battle of the Marne, the statue portrays a nude female figure, standing on tiptoe with both feet on a bronze hemisphere. The Urban District of Finchley received the statue in 1920, but it was Lord Rothermere’s wish to see it placed at its current location. The statue caused some controversy and received several nicknames throughout the years, such as ‘Dirty Gertie’, ‘The Wicked Woman’, and ‘The Naked Lady’.Listed as a Grade II building in 1983, it was upgraded to Grade II* in 2016.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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