Leicester Square in London, England (on the West End) is over 350 years old. It was once a residential area but now serves as one of the busiest entertainment hubs in the city. The very first movie theater to move into the neighborhood, Empire Theatre (now Cineworld Leicester Square) was built in 1800. Today, there are currently four movie theaters operating there (among numerous stage theaters, a huge three-story LEGO store and a 35,000 square feet M&M’s store).
It is this rich artistic history which lead to the addition of many movie-themed sculptures to the Leicester Square Gardens park since 2000. At that time, eight sculptures were installed celebrating 100 years of movie-making. These included Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Paddington Bear, Mr. Bean, Wonder Woman and Gene Kelly singing in the rain around a light pole. Some characters have come and gone. Harry Potter riding a Nimbus 2000 was installed in 2020 and the Iron Throne from TV’s Game of Thrones was put on display in 2021. Today, you’ll find Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin hanging around the park nearby Giovanni Fontana’s William Shakespeare who has been here since 1874.
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