Windrush monument: Basil Watson design chosen

The statue will go on display at London Waterloo from 22 June next year

A statue designed by Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson has been chosen to stand in London's Waterloo station as a tribute to the Windrush generation.

The 12ft-high (3.6m) statue, selected from a shortlist of four designs, will be of a man, woman and child dressed in their "Sunday best".

The design will go on display at the station from Windrush day - 22 June, 2022.

Mr Watson said he felt "truly honoured to be chosen".

He said: "I feel privileged that I now have this opportunity to express the aspirations, vision and courage of my parents, who took the long sea voyage to England in 1952.

"I look forward to bringing my design to life, because I know how much this means to the Windrush community."

It is the first public artwork in the UK by Mr Watson. His sculptures include one of Usain Bolt in Jamaica and one of Martin Luther King in Atlanta.

The Jamaican government awarded Mr Watson the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) in 2016 in recognition of his artistic accomplishment.

The government chose Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson's statue from a shortlist of four designs

Backed by £1m of government funding the monument will "stand as a testament to those who stepped ashore to lay a foundation for their families and their future, influencing and contributing to every aspect of our society," according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Mr Watson's design was selected by the independent Windrush commemoration committee, chaired by Baroness Benjamin, a Liberal Democrat peer.

Baroness Benjamin said: "This Windrush Monument represents the past, present and future and I hope it will be the catalyst for other monuments commemorating the extraordinary contribution of the Windrush generation to this country."