Statue Of John Cass
History
The Sir John Cass Foundation commissioned the original statue in 1751. It stood for many years on Aldgate High Street, before being relocated to the John Cass Institute (now London Metropolitan University) in Jewry Street in 1869. The statue was finally relocated to the Guildhall in 1980, and a fibreglass replica replaced the original at London Metropolitan University, where it has stood since 1998.
Another statue which stood at the University of East London in Newham was removed on 11 June 2020.
In June 2020, during the anti-racism protests in Britain following the murder of George Floyd in the United States, many controversial statues became the target of attacks and scrutiny. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm in order to review statues and monuments in the city. The statues of John Cass have been included in the review due to his involvement in the slave trade.
See also
- List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
- List of public art formerly in London
- List of public statues of individuals linked to the Atlantic slave trade