New Alan Turing sculpture revealed in London

A new sculpture of gay computer genius and WWII codebreaker Alan Turing has been revealed in Paddington, London, as one of three heroes voted for by local residents.

The two-dimensional sculpture appeared near St Mary’s, Paddington, alongside sculptures of fellow local heroes, famous nurse Mary Seacole and Paddington Bear author Michael Bond.

The sculptures are part of the Portrait Bench series by Sustrans, transport charity, which installs the sculptures, as voted for by local residents.

The sculptures are made from Corten steel, the same as the Angel of the North, and will eventually rust to give a more organic look.

A private member’s bill was last week introduced in the House of Lords, which seeks to pardon Turing, who was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952, after having a relationship with another man. 

The gay mathematical genius and codebreaker was the effective inventor of the modern computer and a key driver behind the victory over the Nazis.

He killed himself in 1952, two years after being sentenced to chemical castration.

In 2009, after a campaign led by Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry and Peter Tatchell and supported by PinkNews.co.uk, the then prime minister Gordon Brown issue an apology for Turing’s treatment on behalf of the British government.

A petition to have Turing pardoned which closed in November gathered 37,402 signatures in favour of granting him an official pardon.

• Nov 29 2023

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