Why Queen Anne’s Gate Is Worth a Look
Just a short walk from St James’s Park, Queen Anne’s Gate is one of Westminster’s most beautiful historic streets, lined with elegant brick townhouses and extraordinarily ornate wooden doorways.
Dating to the early 1700s, the oldest houses feature elaborately carved entrance canopies decorated with foliage, sculpted faces and intricate architectural details. Look particularly at the houses around numbers 17–25, where some of the finest examples survive.
But the street’s most curious feature is the statue of Queen Anne standing beside No. 15.
The Curious Story of Queen Anne’s Statue
Queen Anne became monarch in 1702 and was the last Stuart ruler. Her reign saw the union of England and Scotland into Great Britain in 1707, but despite 17 pregnancies, she died without a surviving heir.
The stone statue was erected during her reign, before 1708, and originally stood beside a wall separating two neighboring streets, Queen Square and Park Street. When the wall was removed in the 19th century, the streets eventually became Queen Anne’s Gate.
Take a closer look at the statue’s pedestal. There’s a rather peculiar reason for the inscription ANNA REGINA (Queen Anne).
During the 19th century, local children reportedly mistook the statue for Queen Mary I, better known as Bloody Mary, and repeatedly threw objects at it. By 1862, the statue was missing its nose and right arm. During restoration, officials added the inscription in the hope that identifying the queen would discourage further damage.
And then there’s the ghost story.
According to local legend, every year on August 1, the anniversary of Queen Anne’s death in 1714, the statue steps down from its pedestal and walks up and down Queen Anne’s Gate three times.
Whether or not you believe the tale, it’s one more reason to seek out this quiet Westminster street and take a closer look at the queen who supposedly refuses to stay put.
Location: Queen Anne’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H
Nearest Station: St James’s Park
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