A carved stone three quarter section figure of St. Patrick from the palace of Westminster, mid 19th century

This statue, representing St Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, originally stood on the North East Tower of the Speaker’s Residence in the Palace of Westminster. It formed part of a sequence of exterior statues by the celebrated Victorian sculptor John Thomas (1813-1862) and his assistants.

Sir Charles Barry appointed Thomas as superintendent of all the stone carving at the Palace of Westminster including the Houses of Parliament when it was rebuilt following the disastrous fire of 1834. Thomas’s output was prodigious and included the statues on the north and south fronts, the panels with the arms of the Kings and Queens of England from William the Conquerer to Queen Victoria, the statues and bosses for the Victoria Tower and the bosses  in St Stephen’s Hall.

Amongst numerous other commissions, Thomas was responsible for such diverse projects as the pediment and figures for the Great Western Hotel, Paddington to the carved coats of Arms on the funeral car of the Duke of Wellington.

It is likely that this figure was removed and replaced during restoration work some time between the 1930’s and 1980’s.