Sarah Siddons

Sarah Siddons (1755-1831), Welsh-born celebrated tragic actress,  dubbed ‘tragedy personified’ by the critic William Hazlitt. She worshipped at St Mary on Paddington Green and was buried in the churchyard. The statue was erected sixty six years later by fellow thespians, the actor, Sir Henry Irving setting up the fund for it.

The statue’s pose is loosely based on the portrait, Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse (1789) by Sir Joshua Reynolds at Dulwich Picture Gallery. It is Grade II listed. The statue was vandalised in 2011. The face was badly damamged and the dagger broken off. It was subsequently repaired through a  restoration project arranged by Heritage of London Trust and London Stone Conservation with added funding from Westminster Council. This conservation work was completed in July 2019.

Location: Paddington Green, London, W2