Leicester Square

I worked in London for 37 years. I have walked through Leicester Square on countless times but today, thanks to blipfoto, was the first time I wondered who was on the plinth in the middle. Here he is  - William Shakespeare.  He is holding a scroll that says "There is no darkness but ignorance"; a quote from Twelth Night.  The pigeon on his head is not part of the statute. He was cleaned in 2014,  no doubt from pigeon mess.

The inscription below him reads:-

THIS ENCLOSURE  WAS PURCHASED, LAID OUT AND DECORATED AS A GARDEN  BY ALBERT GRANT ESQ M.P.  AND  CONVEYED BY HIM ON THE 2ND JULY 1874  TO THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS  TO BE PRESERVED FOR EVER  FOR THE FREE USE AND ENJOYMENT  OF THE PUBLIC