Gorilla sculpture is a Grade II listed building in the Bromley local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 January 2016. Sculpture.

Gorilla sculpture

WRENN ID
silver-column-flax
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Bromley
Constituency
Beckenham and Penge MP: Liam Conlon (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
19 January 2016
Type
Sculpture
Address
Gorilla sculpture, Adjacent to Lower Lake, Crystal Palace Park, London, SE20 8DS
OS grid reference
TQ 346 706
Coordinates
51.41877, -0.06462
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The 'Gorilla' is a sculpture created in 1961 by David Wynne, located in the grounds of Crystal Palace Park. This piece is made of polished black Belgian fossil marble and stands approximately 120 centimeters high on a marble base, which is set on a roughly-tooled granite plinth. The title of the work is carved into the plinth. The sculpture is a representation of Guy the gorilla, a well-known attraction at London Zoo. It depicts the animal resting powerfully on all fours, with muscular limbs extending down to flexed knuckles, creating a strong, square form. Wynne aimed for the sculpture to express his feelings of awe, terror, and love for this impressive creature, while also being sturdy enough for children to climb on. The plinth features the inscription ‘GORILLA’, and the marble base is marked ‘DAVID WYNNE 1961’.

Local climate

Gorilla sculpture sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 82% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 84% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 33 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Prehistoric Animal Sculptures, Geological Formations and Lead Mine on Islands and on Land Facing the Lower Lake Grade I 240 m
  2. Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre Grade II* 323 m
  3. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Trophy (War Memorial), Crystal Palace Park Grade II 330 m
  4. Bust of Sir Joseph Paxton at Crystal Palace Park Grade II 492 m
  5. Crystal Palace Lower Level Station Grade II 554 m
  6. The White House Grade II 629 m
  7. 54, High Street Grade II 638 m
  8. The Royal Naval Asylum Grade II 647 m
  9. Penge War Memorial Grade II 660 m
  10. Swedenborgian Church Grade II 689 m