The Naked Ladies
In the riverside gardens of York House in Twickenham, an unusual statue complex can be found amongst a rockery and water cascade: eight larger-than-life Oceanids (sea-nymphs) and two aquatic horses, all carved from white Carrara marble. One of ladies stands atop the two horses, whilst most of the others stretch their arms out towards her, one offering pearls. A couple of them though appear to be in rather awkward poses…
The statues were once the property of fraudster Whitaker Wright, though where he had acquired them from and who had made them is unknown. After Wright’s suicide by cyanide in 1904, the statues were bought by Sir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, who brought them to York House to be installed in the redesigned, Italian-style gardens.
The problem was that no one knew how to arrange them – the statues had been removed from their original setting with no notes taken on their intended layout. The company responsible for creating the rockery was allowed to make their own interpretation, managing to incorporate all the statues into one tableau – though their decisions on the arrangement have been questioned ever since. The original name for the artwork was also not recorded, so without anything official, the statues are often referred to as The Naked Ladies.
Since their installation in Twickenham, the statues have become a local landmark, becoming the possession of Twickenham Council in 1924 when they purchased York House as the new town hall. During the Second World War, it was the thought that the white marble of the statues could reflect moonlight and guide the Luftwaffe, so they were covered in a “grey sludge” to prevent this. Later restoration removed this wartime coating, and fixed up damage from age and vandalism. Today, the statues are a popular backdrop for wedding photos, and have even had a very nice local beer named after them!
