Statue of Robert Raikes, London reads: In 1929 replicas of the statue were cast for erection the following year in Gloucester and Toronto, for the 150th anniversary the following year of opening of the first Sunday school. 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
Victor Raikes Victor Raikes Sir Henry Victor Alpin MacKinnon Raikes KBE (19 January 1901 – 18 April 1986) was a British Conservative politician. Raikes was the son of Henry St. John Digby Raikes, eldest son of Henry Cecil Raikes. His mother was Annie Lucinda (née Mackinnon). Educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he unsuccessfully contested Ilkeston in 1924 and 1929 before being elected for South East Essex in 1931. During World War II he served as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. In 1945 Raikes was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Wavertree. In 1950, 1951,