Thousands of people walk past it, but hardly any will ever notice that they just walked past the statue of a dead parrot.
It’s a sculpture by John Reardon, called initially called “Unwanted Gift” as there wasn’t an agreement as to where it would be sited, but unsurprisingly, it’s is much better known as the “Monument to a Dead Parrot”.
The name is a play on the famous Monty Python sketch about a dead parrot, although that parrot was a Norwegian Blue, not the sulfur-crested cockatoo chosen for the sculpture.
The sculpture was installed in the grounds of Devonport House in 2003, although it had to be put away during the London 2012 Olympics, and then reinstalled in a new location, closer to the main road. The paved circle where the statue can be found wasn’t made for the statue, it predates that so was a very convenient location for it.
The dead parrot lays repose on the concrete column in the gardens, and is very easy to see from the main road, if you know what you’re looking for — just go to the corner of King William Walk and Romney Road and look through the railings next to the phone box.
There’s also a gate in the railings just past the public loos up King William Street, which are sometimes open and you can wander in for a closer look.
