Pavlova

I was at a meeting near Victoria Station in London today and on the way back to work went into blip mode (I spend a lot more time looking up in that mode). I noticed this figure above the Victoria Palace Theatre (Billy Elliot venue) and it occurred to me how it happens that, despite travelling past this location many times over the years that I have worked in London, I have never noticed it before.

A bit of research revealed that, at the opening in 1911, a gilded statue of ballerina Anna Pavlova had been installed above the cupola of the theatre. This was taken down for safety during World War II, and was lost. In 2006, this replica of the original statue was restored in its place and that explains in part why I didn't notice it in the days when I worked close by, as that was in the late 80s, and it wasn't there.