For some months, a plan to erect a statue of Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square has been under discussion. The statue has been described by its sculptor, Douglas Jennings, who once worked at Madame Tussauds, as depicting her in “a resolute posture looking towards Parliament with a stern gaze”. Alistair Lexden gave his reaction in a letter published in The Times on January 19.
Sir, The proposed Thatcher statue must be vetoed (report, Jan.18). It makes her look like a rather dowdy and unhappy provincial lady mayoress. The sculptor has put her in a terrible, simplified version of her peer’s robes without her Garter regalia. The face lacks any trace of the strength and determination brilliantly captured by Oscar Nemon in a 1979 bust at the Carlton Club. This statue insults her memory.
Lord Lexden
House of Lords