Photo: Peter Berthoud. You might have worked in the City for years and yet never even noticed it, but on a wall near to the Walkie Talkie is London's smallest statue - a tribute to a very sad event. Up on the corner of a building on Philpot Lane is a minuscule statue of two mice eating - or perhaps fighting - …

Something wrong with this article? The Golden Boy of Pye Corner is a small late-17th-century monument located on the corner of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane in Smithfield, central London.It marks the spot where the 1666 Great Fire of London was stopped, whereas the Monument hints at the place where it started. Strain your eyes readers, as we give you London's smallest (public) statue. Philpot Lane is a short street in London, United Kingdom, running from Eastcheap in the south to Fenchurch Street in the north. But if you ask local historians, cabbies or bartenders, they'll tell you it was the nearby Monument to the Great Fire of London where the story behind this little sculpture originates. The most attention grabbing item on Philpot Lane might be the Walkie-Talkie, but whip your binoculars out and you might espy two tiny mice, above Caffè Nero.So the mice are actually supposed to be engaging in some form of tug of war over the cheese. Smallest statue Two tiny mice fighting over a piece of cheese have adorned the cornice at the left side of the building on the corner of Philpot Lane at Eastcheap, EC3, since 1862. This is because there are no exact figures on how large (or small) the mice technically are, their placement halfway up a building makes it difficult to break out a ruler and check. Cabbie’s Curios: London’s Smallest Statue By View from the Mirroron April 29, 2012 Not far from the northern end of London Bridge, in the capital’s historic centre, you’ll find a short street called ‘Philpot Lane.’ Named after Sir John Philpot (Lord Mayor of London between 1378-1379), Philpot Lane links Eastcheap and Fenchurch Street.
So small in fact, hundreds of people walk past every day completely oblivious to its very existence. These two mice, fighting over a piece of cheese, have adorned the building on the corner of Philpot Lane and … It is named after Sir John Philpot, Lord Mayor of London from 1378–79.
Two little mice fighting over a piece of cheese (Image: Charlie Jones) High above the pavement in the heart of the City of London, you can find one of the capital's smallest public statues. These mice are a reminder of the sad death of two workmenSo small in fact, hundreds of people walk past every day completely oblivious to its very existence.These two mice, fighting over a piece of cheese, have adorned the building on the corner of Philpot Lane and Eastcheap since it was built in 1862. We'd love to leave you at this point with some incredible stat stating that you can fit the mice statue 46,059 times into the Monument but unfortunately we can't. The mice reside just around the corner from the Monument to the Great Fire. An argument escalated to a fight and in the scuffle both men lost their footing and fell to their deaths.It was later found that neither man was at fault. If no one had told us we might have thought they were just sharing, perhaps even planning on meeting in the middle à la Lady and the Tramp. For awhile it had a serious challenger, as spotted by … All material on this site is the property of

The coolest London events from our partners. The statue of a naked boy is made of wood and is covered with gold; [citation needed] the figure was formerly winged. Let us know here. In a city filled with grand monuments and huge statues, it’s nice to know London has an official smallest statue. The best things to do in London. © 2020 Londonist, All rights reserved. This leaves their status as London's smallest statue unconfirmed. This leaves their status as London's smallest statue unconfirmed.For awhile it had a serious challenger, as spotted by London guide Plan your day ahead or read the day's London headlines with our daily emails. Sometime between 1671 and 1677, as the Monument was being built two workmen sat high above the city on scaffolding preparing to eat their lunch.By accounts they were friends, but all affection was forgotten when one turned to retrieve his bread and cheese and found it half eaten.Thinking it was his companion he got angry. The real culprit for the pinched food was a family of mice living in the building site.So this little statue commemorates them - the mice, the two workmen and the stolen lunch.Get the latest London news straight on your phone without having to open your browser - and get all the latest breaking news as notifications on your screen.The MyLondon app gives you all the stories you need to help you keep on top of what's happening in the best city ever. Soho pig. Located on Philpot Lane, the statue of two tiny mice eating cheese is dedicated to two builders who fell during construction of The Monument after an argument over a missing sandwich, that they blamed on each other but was actually the fault of a mice infestation. The must-read London articles.