David Castleton (Author)<p>One of London's strangest statues - thought to depict Alfred the Great - can be seen in Trinity Church Square, Southwark. The top part - depicting a crowned, bearded man - could have been made in the late 18th century for the garden of Carlton House, Westminster. The bottom half, however, is likely from a Roman statue of the goddess Minerva & is dated to 80-130 AD. It is thought to have stood in a sanctuary on the site of nearby Tabard Square. The bottom part is of Bath stone, probably brought down the Thames from the Cotswolds. The upper part is of Coade stone, an artificial stone invented in the 1770s. The bottom part may have been used to give the statue a more 'medieval' appearance. <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>art</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/sculpture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>sculpture</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/history" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>history</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/psychogeography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>psychogeography</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/folkore" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>folkore</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/mythology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>mythology</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/weird" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>weird</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/London" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>London</span></a></p>