Windrush: Statue design chosen for Waterloo Station

The statue will look like this when it goes 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.

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

The Windrush generation refers to hundreds of people from the Caribbean who moved to the UK for a new life in the years following WW2.

The 12ft-high (3.6m) statue was chosen from a shortlist of four designs, and shows 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: "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.

Figurative sculptor Basil Watson uses figures of a man, woman and child representing the family, climbing a pile of suitcases, representing their culture.

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

Describing his design, Mr Watson said: "The suitcase holds within it everything this family has in their possession from their place of origin - in this case the Caribbean. It holds within it all things valuable.

"It is exciting, and 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 as part of that Windrush generation in search of a brighter future."

This isn't the only sculpture to celebrate those who came to the UK as part of Windrush.

The first permanent artwork to honour the Windrush generation was unveiled in the east London borough of Hackney at the beginning of this month.

The sculptures of three Caribbean fruits - Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit, (Moraceae) and Soursop (Annonaceae) - were made of bronze and marble.

The work, created by the artist Veronica Ryan, was created to show the council's respect and commitment to the Windrush generation.

Artist Ms Ryan said: "I'm hoping that the community will recognise themselves through my choices.

"Through breadfruit, soursop, a custard apple, that the community will say: 'Oh my goodness, oh I know those. Those are things we grew on trees back home'".