Royal Sculptor James Woodford was commissioned by the British Ministry of Works to create the original Queen’s Beasts statues in 1952. Each one depicts a different, pivotal creature used throughout the history of the Royal Arms and the various houses to rule the throne of England representing the House of Plantagenet, House of Lancaster, House of York, House of Tudor, House of Stewart, and the House of Hanover. Each one has its own backstory and its own connection to the crown that descends down to the modern and longest-reigning monarch in English history, Queen Elizabeth II.

As Queen Elizabeth II approached Westminster Abbey in 1953 to participate in her official coronation ceremony she was greeted just outside by 10 statues depicting the many famous, important heraldic beasts that capture the heritage and lineage of the English crown.

Woodford modeled the beasts on the King’s Beasts, a set of 10 stone statues erected at Hampton Court Palace during the reign of King Henry VIII. Woodford’s beasts are now on display at the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec.