The Square Mile is preparing to scrap statues and other landmarks with historic links to slavery and racism, following the Black Lives Matter movement.
City of London Corporation bosses, who run the area home to some of the world’s biggest banks, has now launched a three-month consultation that could see the sculptures felled for good.
The London’s financial district is considering options including relocating the memorials, reinterpreting or retaining them, depending on the responses collected.
They have not suggested any cases themselves, but want members of the public to propose them and suggest a plan of action.
Andrien Meyers, co-chair of the City’s Tackling Racism Taskforce, said street and building names could also be changed.
There are currently monuments and buildings named after William Beckford and Sir John Cass, who made their fortunes from the slave trade.
He added: ‘We know that historical symbols continue to have an impact today and we want to understand how people feel about this aspect of our cultural history.
A statue of Sir John Cass is a fibreglass copy of the original one in the Guildhall in the City of London which could be removed
The statue is on Jewry Street and is above the John Cass Foundation, a facility named after the man, who is linked to slavery
‘We want to hear as broad a range of opinions as possible from City residents, workers, learners, visitors and other stakeholders before any decision is made on how we should deal with this issue.’
Statues and memorials with links to slavery and racism have been targeted globally, with some toppled by protesters and others removed by civic authorities or property owners.
Black Lives Matter protests have forced UK authorities and companies to begin reckoning with racism and the country’s past links to slavery, which brought vast wealth in the 17th and 18th centuries.
William Beckford’s statue in the Guildhall has been the subject of a petition to get it removed twice already but still remains
Sir John Cass Foundation Primary School had removed a bust and memorial and has now said it will change its name
The Lloyd’s of London insurance market and Bank of England are among City organisations that have apologised for past links to slavery.
One City statue targeted for removal by a petition in June is a huge monument to William Beckford, twice Lord Mayor of London in the 1760s and the largest slave owner of his time.
His statue stands in the Guildhall, the ornate seat of the City of London Corporation. The government rejected the petition on the grounds it was a matter for the local authority.
It also houses the original statue of Sir John Cass, who built his fortune through slavery.
A copy of the memorial is also in place elsewhere in the City on Jewry Street at the John Cass Institute.
The only primary school in the Square Mile has already announced it will change its name because of his reputation.
Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School is now set to change its name, despite him founding the building.
They removed a bust and statue of Sir John were removed from the primary school back in June when his links to the slave trade were highlighted.
Chair of Governors Matt Piper said: ‘Our governors are deeply troubled by these links and determined to take appropriate action.
‘We will be working closely on this response with our Foundation. They have already recognised the need for change and for greater discussion of the history of the slave trade.
‘Our working group will also be considering how our school can better educate its community on matters of human exploitation, both historic and in the present day.’
The BLM movement was sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the US where he was arrested by police.
Protesters tore down a statue of Edward Colston on Sunday, June 7, on the same day a memorial to Winston Churchill in London was defaced with the words ‘was a racist’ written on a plinth underneath.
It prompted a wave of statues being targeted with graffiti or being attacked during protests, culminating in some statues, including ones of Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, being covered up to be protected from vandals.
The Topple the Racists campaign launched a comprehensive list of statues it wanted to see removed as it believed the names behind the monuments held racist beliefs.
It led to Oriel College at Oxford University voting to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a colonialist politician in southern Africa in the 19th century.
Boris Johnson wrote last month: ‘We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.
‘They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.’
Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in London in the wake of the death of American George Floyd
Caroline Addy, Co-Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Tackling Racism Taskforce, said it was important to look at whether the monuments were still appropriate.
She added: ‘Like many areas of the country, the City of London has a number of statues and other landmarks with links to the slave trade and historic racism.
‘It’s important that we acknowledge and address this legacy with openness and honesty, and carefully consider what should be done.
‘We are committed to equality, inclusivity and diversity, and to ensuring the Square Mile remains a place where people of all ethnicities and backgrounds feel safe and welcome.’