Grosvenor Square
The American Embassy
The American Embassy London was
moved to 1 Grosvenor Square, the building which now houses the Canadian
High Commission, in 1938. The present Embassy, occupying the whole west
side of the square, was designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in
1960.
During the Second World War when the Chancery was on one side
and General Eisenhower's headquarters on another, Grosvenor Square
became popularly known as "Little America."
Ambassador John G. Winant , living in an
apartment above the Embassy during the Second World War, wrote of a
garden very unlike that which can be seen today.
"In the Battle of Britain the lovely garden in the center of [Grosvenor
Square] had been turned to more practical use. A group of W.A.A.F.'s
and the blimp they called "Romeo" took shelter there. These W.A.A.F.'s
were the first women's crew to man a blimp. They lived in low wooden
huts which covered what were once flower beds around the parkway.
Diagonally across from the Embassy, General Eisenhower later
established his headquarters and Admiral Stark had a building next door
which housed the naval mission. On the other side of the square were
further military installations and offices occupied by the overflow
from the Embassy itself."
A Letter From Grosvenor Square
September 11 Memorial Garden
The September 11 Memorial Garden, a permanent memorial garden to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, was built by the British government in Grosvenor Square. The memorial's official opening took place on September 11, 2003. Read more.
The Eisenhower Statue
The Eisenhower Statue,
dedicated January 23, 1989, stands just across the road from the
buildings that General Eisenhower occupied as Commander in Chief of the
Allied Force (June - November 1942) and Supreme Commander, Allied
Expeditionary Force (January - March 1944). During World War II
Grosvenor Square was the nerve center of the American Armed Forces in
Great Britain.
Sculptor: Robert Lee Dean (1929 - )
Read more.
The Roosevelt Memorial
The Roosevelt Memorial
was funded in 1946 entirely through the sale of a souvenir brochure to
the British public. This was the brain child of The Pilgrims, a society
dedicated to the enhancement of friendship and understanding between
Great Britain and America. So enthusiastic was the public response to
the subscription that the total sum required was reached and exceeded
in a mere six days from the day that British Prime Minister announced
the opening of the appeal on the radio. More than 160,000 separate
donations had been received.
On April 12, 1948, the statue was ceremonially unveiled by
Eleanor Roosevelt and dedicated by U.S. Ambassador Lewis W. Douglas in
front of an audience including the Royal Family, the Prime Minister
Clement Attlee and the Leader of the Opposition Sir Winston Churchill.
Sculptor: Sir William Reid Dick (1878 - 1961) Architect: B.W.L.
Gallanaugh (1900 - 1957).
Read
more
The Eagle Squadron Memorial
The monument to the American Eagle Squadron pilots
of World War II was unveiled on May 12, 1986. The first Eagle Squadron
was formed in September 1940 mostly from American citizens who had
volunteered to join the Royal Air Force. The Eagle Squadron memorial,
sponsored by Hearst Corporation, is a tapering shaft of white Portland
stone surmounted by a bronze sculpture of the American Bald Eagle.
Sculptor: Dame Elizabeth Frink (1930 - 1993)
"They came not as warriors in search of conflict, but rather as
crusaders in the cause of liberty. They became brothers in arms to
their British colleagues..."
Ambassador Charles Price
John Adams' House
The United States has been associated with Grosvenor Square in London's Mayfair since the late eighteenth century when John Adams, the first United States Minister to the Court of St. James's and the second President of the United States, lived from 1785 to 1788 in the house which still stands in Grosvenor Square on the corner of Brook and Duke Streets. The house is marked by a plaque erected by the Colonial Dames of America.
Read more.
Later residents of Grosvenor Square included Ambassador Walter Hines Page who lived at 6 Grosvenor Square, and Ambassador John G. Winant who lived above the Embassy complex when it was sited at 1 Grosvenor Square.
The Diplomatic Gates
The Diplomatic Gates in Grosvenor Square, a gift of the National Comittee for the Bicentennial of the Treaty of Paris, were dedicated on 10 May 1984 to commemorate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Paris and to honor those diplomats of Great Britain and the United States of America who have persevered in the tradition of John Hartley, Richard Oswald, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Adams, and Henry Laurens by labouring steadfastly in the work of peace.
Ronald Reagan Statue
On July 4th, 2011, the Ronald Reagan Foundation honoured President Ronald Reagan by erecting a ten foot tall bronze statue at the south-west corner of Grosvenor Square, outside the U.S. Embassy.
U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman gave these remarks at the unveiling of the Ronald Reagan Statue.