Most people know the statue isn't really of Eros, but Anteros, his twin brother. That godlike figure is now London's most famous work of sculpture, popularly known as Eros, the Greek God of love. The bronze base was supposed to support a dome of water, with the mythical figure of a god appearing to float on the surface of the flowing water. Piccadilly Circus and the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. Eros and Anteros , love gods, show that loving has to be answered for it to prosper. OS: TQ295806 About Eros Statue, Piccadilly Circus The statue's official name never caught the public imagination, and Anteros became popularly - and incorrectly - known as Eros. You will have to use a pedestrian crossing to reach the fountain. A beautiful Grade II listed Georgian Town House with seventeen en-suite guest rooms the Staunton Hotel boasts an atmosphere more reminiscent of a welcoming club. Artemis and Apollo, the gods of the moon and the sun, both complement each other's personalities. Poet, witch, messy bitch. (Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Part II, Chapter XX). 0.3 miles (Landmark), Admiralty Arch - Nearest station: Picadilly Circus - 0 miles (straight line) - Zone: 1, Heritage Rated from 1- 5 (low to exceptional) on historic interest, Royal Academy of the Arts - "Whoever judges not Eros to be a mighty god is either stupid or, having no experience of good things, knows not of the god who is the mightiest power to men." Address: Piccadilly Circus, ". Alternatively, he was said to have arisen from the mutual love between Poseidon and Nerites. The base was too narrow, so that instead of water flowing smoothly, it splashed everywhere, creating a mass of mud beside the fountain. "Ruthless Eros, great bane, great curse to mankind, from you come deadly strifes and lamentations and groans, and countless pains as well have their stormy birth from you." Such a place for poetic bliss, while this pen slings feelings of kiss! Some ruffled feathers were smoothed by officially renaming the statue as 'The Angel of Christian Charity', a very Christian approximation of the role Anteros was thought to play in the Greek pantheon of gods. Like his brothers, he is depicted with a bow and arrows to create desire and lust in mortals. The fountain base was stored in Clapham, while the statue stood in Embankment Gardens until the station was finished. Gilbert's design for the water fountain was flawed from the start. Nearest Accommodation to Eros Statue, Piccadilly Circus: Self Catering   -   B&Bs/Guesthouses   -   Hotels, More He personifies sexual desire or unrequited love. Eros and Anteros on the scales of love, Apulian red-figure vase C4th B.C., British Museum ANTEROS was the god of requited love and the avenger of the unrequited. Euston and King's Cross rail stations & St Pancras Eurostar terminal are all nearby. Stunning UK prints for sale by award-winning photographer David Ross, editor of Britain Express, the UK Travel and Heritage Guide. In every heart my throne I keep, Fear ne'er could daunt my daring soul; I fire the bosom of the deep, And the profoundest hell control. 3 miles, - HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS:   Perhaps the most famous sculpture in London. The commission might have been quick, but Gilbert certainly wasn't; he took fully five years considering how best to commemorate the Earl's life and good works. 0.4 miles (Historic Church). Unfortunately, the statue does not depict Eros at all, but in fact depicts the God's twin brother Anteros, the god of requited love, who had the delightful habit of punishing unrequited love and revenging himself on those who reject a lover's advances. Unfortunately, the statue does not depict Eros at all, but in fact depicts the God's twin brother Anteros, the god of requited love, who had the delightful habit of punishing unrequited love and revenging himself on those who reject a lover's advances. Location self catering near Eros Statue, Piccadilly Circus, More Hotels near Eros Statue, Piccadilly Circus, More Gilbert also designed cups chained to the base so that people could more easily drink, but the cups were stolen almost immediately. The Garth Hotel is centrally located in the lovely Bloomsbury area of central London, a short walk from the world famous British Museum, Covent Garden, Oxford Street & Theatres. Greater London, Anteros is shown as a winged figure, standing (indeed, almost over-balanced) on the ball of one foot, a bow in his left hand, his right arm drawn back as if to launch an unseen arrow, But where is he aiming? The statue was designed by Sir Alfred Gilbert as 'The God of Selfless Love', to commemorate the philanthropic good deeds for which the Earl of Shaftesbury was known. It was the first cast aluminium statue in the world, though curiously the fountain itself is bronze. It was considered too overtly sensual and unsuitable as a memorial to the notably respectable Earl of Shaftesbury. The story of Timagoras and Meles illustrates the nature of Anteros:The Athenian Meles, spurning the love of Timagoras, bade him ascend to the highest point of a rock and cast himself down. 3.5 miles. It was re-erected in 1931. A different take on the story is that the missing arrow is a rebus, or pun on the name 'Shaftesbury', as in, the archer must have 'buried' the 'shaft' somewhere. Timagoras, who was ready to gratify his beloved friend in any of his requests, went and cast himself down. The central area of the Circus is a traffic island, where pedestrians wait to cross one of the many crosswalks, while hordes of black cabs and double-decker buses whizz past. more >>, A beautiful Grade II listed Georgian Town House with seventeen en-suite guest rooms the Staunton Hotel boasts an atmosphere more reminiscent of a welcoming club. Britain Express is a labour of love by David Ross, an avid historian, photographer, and 'Britain-ophile'. The Circus was built in 1819 and is perhaps best known today for the large neon signs and video display mounted on a building on the northern side of the junction.