There are many reasons to visit Southwark Cathedral, the gothic gem of a building nestled on Bankside next to London Bridge and the Shard.

Until 29th March you can add one more: the opportunity to see the dramatic sculpture of Christ’s head with crown of thorns by acclaimed British sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green.

Christ Rests in Peace at Southwark Cathedral

The giant eight-foot head, cast in lead with a gilded crown of thorns, is on display in front of the high altar during Lent and the Holy Week.

It is powerful not just because of its sheer size but also because when you look beyond the thorns you see the humanity in the face of Christ, says Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark.

Entitled Christ Rests in Peace, the sculpture is the result of over 20 years work on the face of Jesus by Fiddian-Green. The sculptor is best known for his equestrian sculptures, especially the 33-ft head of a drinking horse installed at Marble Arch in  2010.

Christ Rests in Peace is already proving extremely attractive to Southwark Cathedral visitors, almost overshadowing in popularity the permanent sculpture of William Shakespeare in the south aisle of the nave.

But why not combine a look at both sculptures with a fascinating Shakespeare-themed guided walk around Bankside in the company of Footprints of London guide Ray Blackburn.

His walk is one of three Shakespeare-themed tours regularly offered by Footprints of London guides. Also coming up in the next month or so are Anne Tickell’s Shakespeare in the City and Jenni Bowley’s Shakespeare in Shoreditch.

All these walks and many more, on a variety of themes and subjects, can be found at the Footprints of London home page.