𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A statue of the 19th-century poet Lord Byron has been returned to Hyde Park, nearly 70 years after it was isolated on a traffic island when new roads were built through the area in the early 1960s.

The Grade II-listed statue was erected as a national memorial in 1880 after receiving special permission from Queen Victoria. Changes to the Park Lane road layout 80 years later left it inaccessible, leading it to become isolated, neglected and dirty.

The Lord Byron Society launched a campaign to relocate the statue six years ago, arguing it had become neglected.

The move cost more than £400,000, funded by a £230,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and additional donations.

“We are all extremely grateful that our plea to rescue Byron and put him back into full public view was met with so much support by everyone involved,” said Lord Robin Byron, the president of the society.