The United States and Britain have had a long and strong relationship.  London contains many memorials and buildings, and bars too, that recognise and commemorate this friendship.

1. FD Roosevelt statue in Grosvenor Square

Unveiled in 1948 by his wife and paid for by private British subscriptions, this towering statue of Roosevelt stands in Grosvenor Square, in the gardens slightly to the east of the US Embassy.

2. “Allies” bronze on New Bond Street

Here is Roosevelt again, this time sitting, chatting with  Churchill  on a bench in Bond Street.  This bronze sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener’s was crafted in 1995 and was erected to mark 50 years of peace.

Go here for a more detailed article on this bronze.

3. 9/11 Memorial In Grosvenor Square

A memorial garden in honour of the 9/11 terror victims stands in Grosvenor Square in London.  It was opened by the Princess Royal in 2003, to mark the second anniversary of the attacks.

A metal girder recovered from the devastation of Ground Zero is buried beneath the peaceful gardens.

The garden has been planted with flowers selected for their special significance and because they look at their best in the month of September.

Go here for a more detailed article on the memorial.

4. Bust of JF Kennedy on the Euston Road

Robert and Edward Kennedy unveiled this memorial bust of their brother in 1965, outside the International Students’ Hostel, on the corner of Marylebone Road and Park Crescent.

5. JFK Blue Plaque

JFK also has a blue plaque at 14 Prince’s Gate SW7, commemorating his stay in London whilst his father Joseph was US Ambassador from 1937-40.

6. Benjamin Franklin Plaque and Museum

At 36 Craven Street in central London stands the house where Benjamin Franklin lived between 1757 and 1775.  It is now a lively museum and is, in fact, the only remaining Franklin home in the world.  It is a grade I listed building and was the first site outside the US to gain Save America’s Treasures designation.

6. Dwight D Eisenhower in Grosvenor Square

This second statue of an American President in Grosvenor Square, was unveiled in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher and Charles Price It stands beside the US Embassy close to Eisenhower’s wartime HQ.

7. Ronald Reagan in Grosvenor Square

A ten foot bronze statue of Reagan was unveiled in Grosvenor Square in July 2011. Paid for by the Reagan Memorial Trust Fund at a reputed cost of $1m, the statue commemorated both 100 years since his birth and his contribution to ending the Cold War.

8. George Washington outside the National Gallery

A life sized statue of the USA’s first President stands outside the National Gallery, on the north side of Trafalgar Square. It is a bronze replica of the statue by the French 18th-century sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon that stands in the State Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia. It was gifted to the United Kingdom to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was unveiled on 30 June 1921.

9. Abraham Lincoln in Parliament Square

This statue of Lincoln in studious pose stands on the west side of Parliament Square. It’s a copy of Saint-Goudens Chicago original and was erected in 1920.

10. Some Light Refreshment

For something a little lighter after all this serious sightseeing, you’ll find a number of hotel bars in London that have US connections.

The American Bar at the Stafford Hotel in Mayfair is so called because in the early 1930s the hotels in London’s West End started to cater for the ever-growing American market crossing the Atlantic aboard the many ocean-going liners of the time. The intrepid travellers from North America brought with them such exotic drinks as Manhattans, Martinis, Sidecars, The Vanderbilt Cocktail and the Waldorf.   Every West End hotel then named their bar “The American Bar” in order to show that they catered for the American market.

The walls of the Stafford’s bar are covered with interesting memorabilia gifted to the bar by its patrons.  It is not all US related, but is certainly worth a browse.

Over the years most hotels have renamed their bars and the American Bar in the Savoy is the only other one that I know of to have retained the name. It has a history that harks back to the golden age of cocktails in the 1920’s and, although recently renovated, it retains many of the original details.  To complete the vibrant ambience, the bar features a live pianist seven days a week, playing classic American Jazz.

The Glenn Miller bar at the Thistle Hotel Marble Arch might not have quite the same caché as the two American bars, but recently refurbished and with fun memorabilia on the walls, it still makes a pleasant place to “wet your whistle”.

Linked to Thursday Special “Non-Challenge” and Travel Photo Mondays.