Golden Dog & Pot sculpture unveiled by Ollie Dickens

Of his time working in Warren's blacking factory as a boy, Charles Dickens recalled:

'My usual way home was over Blackfriars Bridge and down that turning in the Blackfriars Road which has Rowland Hill's chapel
 on one side and the likeness of a golden dog licking a golden pot over a shop door on the other' (Forster's Life of Charles Dickens, Vol.1, 1872)

That 'likeness' was a well-known Southwark landmark, attached to the wall an ironmonger's shop from the 1780s until 1932, when it was removed to the Cuming Museum.

The shop was destroyed by WWII bombing a few years later, and newer buildings now stand on the sites of both that and the Rowland Hill chapel. 

In 2007, artist Jason Brooks conceived the idea of bringing the dog and pot back to Southwark. With support from the local residents' association and Southwark Council, funding was secured from Section 106 development funds, and his vision was rewarded. Two replicas of the original statue were meticulously carved from elm wood by Mike Painter and a steel bracket was designed by Owen Cunningham. One of the replicas, named Edward, was installed on the corner once occupied by the ironmonger's shop, and was unveiled on 6 February 2013 by Mark Dickens. The other, named Bill, was displayed at The Charles Dickens Museum in 2014, as part of their 'A City Observed' exhibition, and then put into storage. 

Unfortunately, after 12 years on display, Edward suffered a severe split due to the weathering and had to be removed from outdoor display in 2025. Following restoration work, he will be displayed indoors at the Southwark Heritage Centre. 

Bill has now been taken out of storage and his longevity and resilience against the elements ensured with traditional gilding by Woodwork London.

On Saturday 7 February 2026 - the 214th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth - his great-great-great-grandson, actor Ollie Dickens, cut the ribbon in an official unveiling of this latest reincarnation of the 'golden dog licking a golden pot'. 

The statue stands on the corner of Blackfriars Road and Union Street, diagonally opposite the entrance to Southwark Underground Station, and it is hoped he will remain there for many, many years to come.