Guy the Gorilla

Guy the Gorilla was born at some point in 1946 in what was then French Cameroon. Captured in 1947, he arrived at London Zoo on 5 November 1947 (Guy Fawkes Day) and was christened "Guy". He became one of the zoo's major attractions, famed for his gentle disposition. He died in 1978 of a heart attack while under general anaesthetic during an operation to extract a tooth. His taxidermied remains are displayed at the entrance to the "Treasures" gallery in the central Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum. In addition to the sculpture at Crystal Palace Park, Guy is also commemorated by a bronze statue by William Timym, which was installed at London Zoo in 1982. In 1959, David Wynne was…

The sculpture of Guy the Gorilla is made of polished black fossiliferous Belgian marble and stands high on a marble base with a roughly finished granite plinth. The base bears the sculptor's name and the date "" and the title "GORILLA" is carved into the plinth. The gorilla is standing on all fours: Wynne wanted the "powerful" form to convey "all his feelings of awe and terror and love for this mighty beast". Jo Darke, in her history of English and Welsh monuments, notes that Wynne's intention for the piece to be an interactive sculpture was achieved; "children pat, stroke and climb as well as look". It stands on the north side of the Lower Lake in Crystal Palace Park, near the park café.…