Other locations were suggested for the statue, including Parliament Square, but it was unveiled opposite the House of Lords in 1947.

[8] The Royal Fine Art Commission suggested that the statue should be located in Parliament Square instead of opposite the House of Lords.

The carving of the statue actually took place in the Portland quarry from which the stone was produced, and during the war years it was placed inside one of the quarry's tunnels on the Island in order to prevent it from potential damage due to German bombing raids.

[1] The statue was placed in the original proposed spot opposite the House of Lords, which required the demolition of No.

[1][10] In 1968, the symbol of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was drawn on the side of the plinth, provoking the question of its removal to be raised by Dudley Smith MP in the House of the Commons.