The Smallest Statue in London: A Tale of Mice and Mystery

Dear Training Centre Raya’s friends,

London is a city of landmarks, urban legends, and intriguing stories, and today, we bring you the tale of its smallest public statue and the curious stories behind its creation.

Nestled between the modest Philpot Lane and the more impressive Eastcheap and Fenchurch Street, this statue is named after Sir John Philpot, who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1378 to 1379. Made of gypsum, it sits on the façade of a beautifully preserved Georgian-era building—one of the few remaining in the city. The tiny sculpture depicts two brown mice fighting over a piece of cheese. But what controversial story inspired its creation?

According to legend, the statue is linked to a tragedy involving two construction workers who fell from scaffolding either during the building’s construction or while working on the Monument to the Great Fire of London. The details vary, but one account claims they fell after a heated argument when one accused the other of stealing his lunch—a simple cheese sandwich. In one version, both men struggled and plunged to their deaths, while another suggests only one worker fell after being pushed by his enraged and hungry colleague.

But is this legend true? At the time, such an incident would have been a significant event in the city, likely reported in newspapers eager for sensational urban stories. However, a review of press articles from the period reveals no mention of such a tragedy. While The Builder, a Victorian-era publication, covered the building’s construction, it made no reference to fallen workers or mice. Given its serious tone, the journal might have omitted such a peculiar detail, yet major accidents were usually commemorated with bronze plaques or bas-reliefs—not mice.

A more plausible theory is that the builders shared their cheese with semi-domesticated city mice, and the statue was created in their memory. To this day, Londoners and visitors glance up, retelling the urban legend of the fallen workers and the tiny tribute to the city’s rodents.

There’s another reason why the mice and cheese remain a London landmark—the persistence of the building’s painters. Each time the structure is repainted, they carefully refresh the brown and yellow hues of the tiny statue. One can only hope no careless painter will ever cover it in white, erasing this quirky piece of London’s history forever!

Author: Iveta Radeva