James Henry Greathead, 1844 -1896, was a tunnelling expert, railway engineer and Chief Engineer for City and South London Railways was born in Grahamstown, South Africa.
The ten foot bronze commissioned by the city of London was unveiled in January, 1994 by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Paul Newell.
It stands outside the Royal Exchange on a traffic island on a Portland stone plinth which conceals a ventilation shaft. Greathead was an engineer on the the subways of London and the inventor of the machinery (travelling shield) used to cut the tunnels.