Statue of Robert Raikes, London Statue of Robert Raikes, London A statue of Robert Raikes, often regarded as being the founder of Sunday schools, executed by the sculptor Thomas Brock, stands in Victoria Embankment Gardens, London, United Kingdom. It was unveiled by the Earl of Shaftesbury on 3 July 1880 and marked the centenary of the opening of the first Sunday school. The critic Edmund Gosse considered the statue to be "as good as anything of the kind we possess in England". In 1958 it was designated a Grade II-listed building. The front of the plinth reads: . An inscription below the figure's right foot
Arthur Raikes On 12 July 1906 Raikes was appointed a First Class Member of the Order of El Aliyeh for services rendered to the Sultan of Zanzibar. Raikes served as Vizier to Zanzibar from 1906 until 1908 and was, at one stage, first minister to the country. He married Geraldine Arbuthnot on 16 December 1899 with whom he would have one son. Raikes died on 3 March 1915 at number 28 Kensington Court Gardens, London. Arthur Raikes Arthur Edward Harington Raikes (5 February 1867 – 3 March 1915) was a British army officer who served as acting prime minister, vizier and first