A NEW public sculpture has been erected to commemorate a school’s 350-year presence in the capital.

Christ’s Hospital School, in Horsham, celebrated a milestone anniversary on Monday with the sculpture unveiled in the Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden in Newgate Street, London, by alderman Sir Alan Yarrow, former Lord Mayor and member of the school’s governing council.

Sir Alan Yarrow said: “It is a great honour to unveil a sculpture that marks not only a significant period in the history of Christ’s Hospital, but also celebrates life-changing education for the children who have crossed its threshold both in the City and in West Sussex.”

Working with the City and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the idea of a more permanent presence to mark the school’s London history evolved following a successful exhibition about Christ’s Hospital hosted by the bank, whose offices now occupy a large part of the school’s original site.

Planning permission and listed building consent was granted by the City of London Corporation with support from Historic England in December 2016.

Renowned sculptor Andrew Brown of Sussex Studios, Billingshurst, with many public commissions in his portfolio, was selected following an open competition run by The City of London Corporation.

The finished bronze statue is 2.4 metres long and 1.5 metres high and is mounted on the wall of the garden.

Andrew Brown said: “It has been a great opportunity for me, making a sculpture for the City of London and at the same time a great challenge, creating a sculpture that reflects both the traditions and history of the school and the forms of a modern urban environment.

“The fusion of the figurative, with the more abstract form of the background, combined with the very traditional and yet reflective bronze finish has, I hope, tied these elements together.”

The plaque refers to three key dates in Christ’s Hospital’s history: its foundation in 1552, the launch of the Royal Mathematical School in 1673 and the move to Horsham in 1902.