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All the United Kingdom England London 'Monument for a Dead Parrot'

'Monument for a Dead Parrot'

The sculpture of the deceased cockatoo flops atop its personal plinth.

London, England

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AmunyAnkhesenra
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Dead, or just pining?   AmunyAnkhesenra / Atlas Obscura User
Expired and gone to meet its maker.   AmunyAnkhesenra / Atlas Obscura User
This parrot is no more!   AmunyAnkhesenra / Atlas Obscura User
Bereft of life, it rests in peace.   AmunyAnkhesenra / Atlas Obscura User
Monument for a Dead Parrot.   AmunyAnkhesenra / Atlas Obscura User
View from Devonport House Hotel   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the grounds of the Devonport House hotel in Greenwich is a rather unusual avian sculpture. Though it looks as though the bird is leisurely flopped on its back, sunning its underbelly, the beast most certainly isn’t resting. The sulfur-crested cockatoo, having shuffled off its mortal coil, lies dead atop its small plinth.

"Monument for a Dead Parrot" is the work of artist Jon Reardon, who created it as a feature of interest—though originally without anywhere to site it. It was in 2009, after two years of negotiations with London borough councils, that the artwork was installed in the hotel garden, near the National Maritime Museum.

Presumably, Reardon’s inspiration for the work was the famous Monty Python “Dead Parrot” sketch, though that featured a definitely deceased "Norwegian Blue" (but you cannot deny this cockatoo also has lovely plumage). A version of the sketch was filmed in a pet shop on London’s Caledonian Road, so some might wonder why the parrot is not found in that more northerly location. Perhaps it was pining for the Docklands?

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Hotels Monuments Birds Death Sculptures Gardens Art Animals Plants

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The small sculpture on a grey plinth can be easily seen through the railings at the corner of King William Walk and Romney Road, behind the phone box. 

There is a side gate near the statue, or you can go into the car park of Devonport House and go through the arch 

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AmunyAnkhesenra

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SEANETTA, jooniur, mwstott, emke66

  • SEANETTA
  • jooniur
  • mwstott
  • emke66

Published

March 29, 2019

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'Monument for a Dead Parrot'
King William Walk
London, England, SE10 9JB
United Kingdom
51.481094, -0.007853
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