Image credit: Tony Hisgett / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · 2010-10-25 ↗
The Gilded St Olaf of Norway House
Cockspur Street · Trafalgar Square → Strand → Somerset House → Temple · Look-up detail / Norwegian London
Story
Just a short walk from Trafalgar Square, a Norwegian king is suspended high above a façade, easily missed because few people walk through London looking upwards. The Cockspur Street building, completed between 1914 and 1915, became Norway House in 1920, serving as a home for London’s Norwegian commercial community. It was then that it acquired its distinctly Norwegian details, including this gilded statue of St Olaf. Olaf Haraldsson was an eleventh-century king of Norway who, after his death, became a saint and one of the central figures of medieval Norwegian identity. The figure you see here is by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Lærum. Throughout the twentieth century, Norway House represented far more than just architectural decoration: the building was closely associated with London’s Norwegian community and became particularly significant during the Second World War, when the Norwegian government operated in exile from London.
What to look for
Look for the gilded crowned king, positioned several storeys above ordinary shopfront level on the building's façade.
Secret detail
While a bust of King Haakon VII of Norway was unveiled at the building in 1927, this gilded statue of St Olaf is the true crowning, less obvious, detail on the façade.
Where exactly
Stand on Cockspur Street and look up at the façade of the former Norway House.
Orientation
Face the façade and look up; the detail is several storeys above street level.
Why it matters
This detail reveals the deep and lasting connection between London and Norway, illustrating how international communities imprint their identity on the city's architecture and reflect key historical moments such as a government's wartime exile.
Access & opening
Always visible externally subject to scaffolding/works.
Free
We never show live status. Check opening hours before you go.
Accessibility
Public pavement.