The statue of Eros, set in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, is one of the most recognisable symbols of London. Originally known as the Shaftebury Monument, it was unveiled in 1893 as a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury. Eros, a figure of a winged archer poised delicately with his bow, was intended to be an 'angel of christian charity', but was later renamed after the Greek god of love. The sculptor Alfred Gilbert incorporated a wide variety of fish and crustaceans life into the bronze fountain and the figure of Eros, rising above the fountain, was made of aluminum, which was a rare material at the time. The statue had already been vandalised by August 1893 and has undergone various tribulations, most recently in 1994 when it was damaged by a drunken visitor climbing on to it and bending the figure. (www.4london.info) The photos were taken on September 15, 2007.