Holy Trinity Brompton Spy Drop Statue

myminifactory

A statue of St Francis of Assisi in the bushes at the north east corner of Holy Trinity Brompton Church, London. This statue was used by the KGB during the Cold War as a “dead letter drop” where they could hide secret materials (behind the statue). The Brompton area was a popular haunt for spies and their handlers during the cold war period. Its central location, surrounded by a mixture of winding streets and public buildings made it an ideal place to engage in the centuries old profession of espionage. An integral part of this 'business' was the use of dead drops. 'Dead drops' or 'dead letter boxes' were the means by which agents would leave sensitive and top secret material in preordained places to be picked up later by their handlers. Some of these can still be visited. 212 photos taken in November 2020 with a Sony a6000 and processed in Reality Capture. (text credit)