Golden Boy of Pye Corner, Memorial sculpture at Pye Corner in London, England
The Golden Boy of Pye Corner is a cherub figure coated in gold leaf, positioned at the corner of a building where Giltspur Street meets the intersection. The sculpture stands at a height that lets visitors view the fine details of the carved work up close.
This monument marks where the Great Fire of London stopped in 1666, ending its destruction across much of the medieval city. The statue was later placed here to commemorate that year and what happened.
The inscription below the statue connects the Great Fire to excessive eating, showing how people in the 1600s believed disasters were divine punishment. This view of catastrophe as a moral message was common in the community back then.
The monument sits near St. Bartholomew's Hospital in a busy part of the city, making it easy to spot while walking around. You can view it from street level without any special access or timing requirements.
The statue originally decorated the Fortune of War pub, which had a dark history as a meeting place for body snatchers. These individuals sold human remains to medical students for anatomy lessons.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
