Goldsmiths students have lost their battle to tear down statues of Lord Nelson and Sir Francis Drake after residents said they wanted them to stay. Over half of locals said they were against removing the carvings on the university-owned Deptford Town Hall in London.
Students demanded the four statues, which also include 17th century admiral Robert Blake and an anonymous naval figure, were torn down during a protest in 2019. They said the individuals’ links to the slave trade meant they should be removed during a 137-day sit-in.
Following the protests, the university in New Cross sent surveys to 8,500 local residents asking them if they wanted the statues removed. Of the 122 people who replied, 58 per cent said they were against the move to remove the 117-year-old statues.
