Harry Kane statue at Chingford Railway Station scrapped over fear it could 'distract' train drivers

A statue of England captain Harry Kane was not installed at a railway station on the Essex border because of the potential to distract train drivers, officials have revealed. The project, commissioned by Waltham Forest Council, cost more than £7,000 for the artwork.

The statue's existence was made public in February 2024 and led to speculation over its appearance. The Big Issue managed to obtain photos from the sculptors who made the statue of the England captain.

The striking depiction of England's record goalscorer was not placed on a platform at Chingford station because of safety concerns. Information released by Transport for London (TfL) said initial concerns were raised about having the statue close to the buffer stops and whether this "could cause a distraction to train drivers as they approach the terminal platforms".

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A Freedom of Information Case Officer from TfL added: "The main distraction issue was not concerned with the statue, but the actions of persons around it, including posing for photographs on/next to it, hanging items on it such as scarfs, etc. Had the discussions progressed further, this would have led to the commissioning of a formal safety validation workstream, including hazard identifications and a risk assessment, but a further proposal was then made to relocate the statue off station premises at Chingford, negating the requirement for commissioning of a safety validation."

Harry Kane attended the nearby Chingford Foundation School. It is a specialist Humanities College and the school has been an academy since October 2012.

Harry met his wife, Kate, whilst studying at the school. He told Esquire, "We went to school together, so she's seen my whole career." The pair married in 2019 and have four children and two dogs.

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