Iconic Churchill statue goes under the hammer

Iconic Churchill statue goes under the hammer

Do you every have one of those chilling moments when you see an item in the newspaper and it makes your heart stop for a moment? I'm being slightly over dramatic here but the picture of the famous Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt statue "Allies" with text that said the famous statue was up for auction made me stop in my tracks. Bonhams will auction the famous statue in London tomorrow and it is expected to reach a price around £200,000.

Four years ago when I set too to create the Cuban Cigar Walk London I wanted a suitable starting point and after many hours researching Mayfair and St James's and planning a suitable route I decided that the junction of old and new Bond street and the iconic statue at this junction was the ideal meeting point.

More recently I have created the London Cigar Guide App which also includes the Cigar Walk and the statue is a key land mark for cigar lovers and tourists alike. It has a polished look due to the number of tourists who sit between the great men to have their pictures taken and is a major Bond Street land mark.

The statue in Bond street was unveiled on 2nd May 1995 by Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon and it commemorates 50 Years of Peace after the Second World War.

The British nation loved Churchill and as a man who is reputed to have smoked up to 200,000 cigars in his 90 year life you will not be surprised to find that he features frequently in both the cigar walk and the London Cigar Guide App which features many of his London homes.

The thought that I was going to have to re-record the whole of the first stage of the walk and find a new meeting point was not good news.  Only when I called the Auction house directly did I discover that the statue remains in place in Bond Street and the version that is up for auction is one of seven impressions taken. 

Churchill was a great leader and is fondly remembered on both sides of the Atlantic. His energy and oratory kept Britain motivated through the war and his relationship with Roosevelt was very special and i for one am delighted that this great statue is staying where it belongs in Bond street.

Laurence Holofcener, the sculptor was born in Baltimore Maryland and has exhibited all over the US and UK. He is know for his statues of famous people including Lawrence Olivier at the Chichester Festival Theatre.