sculpted by Sir John Steell (Playfair's original drawings indicate that a Britannia statue with a reclining lion was originally intended for the building). Each of the four corners of the building is topped by a pair of carved stone sphinxes, also by Steell.

In 2003 railings (lost in World War II) together with a series of traditional lamps, were restored around both the academy and the National Gallery behind, isolating each building from the public space here.