London, England: Duke of Wellington Statue

This is something of a two-fer - a statue of a significant name in British history, next to a building of importance. They aren't on the must-see attraction list, but it was nice to bump into them.

The guy on the horse is Arthur Wellesley, which may not ring a bell on this side of the Atlantic. But he usually is remembered as the Duke of Wellington, which is a bit better. Wellington led a British army to a landmark victory over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo in 1815. That's the type of win that will get you a statue.

However, that's not why he was saluted. The Duke was saluted for his aid in helping the London Bridge Approaches Act pass in 1827, which led to the creation of London Bridge. It's not like knocking off a famous dictator, but it make an impression. By the way, the base of the statue serves as an outlet for a ventilation shaft for the London Underground below it.

Meanwhile, that building behind it is the headquarters of The Bank of England. Now we're talking. It was created in 1694 to handle the government's money matters, and is the world's second oldest central bank. We won't get into the history of it here, but there is a North American connection as of 2025. The Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020 was a gentleman named Mark Carney. You might have heard that name in the news lately. He is the new Prime Minister of Canada, as of the spring of 2025.

The inside of the bank probably is more interesting than the outside.