Mikhail Shemyakin has repeatedly turned to the image of Peter I in his work. One of his famous monuments to the Russian emperor is installed in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. Another statue of Peter I is located in the Deptford area of London. On the massive pedestal, in addition to the caricatured emperor with a small head and a large body, the sculptor depicted a dwarf with a globe and an empty throne. The inscription on the marble slab reads: "Peter the Great. This monument, a gift from the Russian people, was erected in memory of Peter the Great's visit to this country in search of knowledge and experience." The monument was installed in 2001 in honor of the several months that Peter I spent in this area studying shipbuilding at the royal docks.

The monument to Peter I in Deptford stands on the site of the house where the Russian tsar lived in 1698 during his visit to England. Peter's Grand Embassy to Western Europe is usually associated with the Netherlands, but it was his visit to London that allowed the young tsar to familiarize himself with the advanced technologies of the time.

The monument, created by Mikhail Shemyakin, is cast in bronze. Typical of Shemyakin, the lanky king holds a telescope in his hand, next to him is a throne too small for such a figure, two cannons, a dwarf with a globe, and a tiny ship in the palm of his hand. Later, Shemyakin used this idea to create a monument to Peter in Strelna near St. Petersburg. All elements of the monument are meaningful and symbolic: the cannons symbolize the purpose of the visit, the strengthening of Russia's military power, the dwarf reminds of the antics of the Russian embassy in London, and any viewer can sit on the small throne to admire the Thames.

Peter was led to England by necessity: having mastered the craft of shipbuilding in the Netherlands, he found that the Dutch could not teach him the theory of shipbuilding. The sad tsar was drinking beer in a tavern when a chance Englishman suggested that this was taught perfectly in England. Peter went to London at the personal invitation of King William III, who ruled both England and the Netherlands at the same time.

The visit was unofficial. Peter wanted to live as close as possible to the Deptford royal docks, and a house belonging to Sir John Evelyn was chosen for him, freeing it from Admiral John Benbow, the head of the docks. A special door was made in the wall of the house so that the tsar could access the docks at any time.

Peter spent four months in England. During this time, he studied the theory of shipbuilding under the guidance of Sir Anthony Deane the Elder, visited the Greenwich Observatory, the Royal Mint, where Sir Isaac Newton was working at the time, inspected the Woolwich Arsenal and cabinets of curiosities, and also had a brief romance with actress Letitia Cross. To replenish the treasury, Peter sold a license to British merchants for tobacco trade in Russia.

The house where the tsar lived has not survived, but bills issued by the landlord after the visit remain: for broken doors, shattered tiles, broken balusters, and a broken bed. The soil in the garden was "dug up from jumping and doing all sorts of tricks." The inspection was conducted by architect Christopher Wren, and the damages were estimated at 350 pounds, which the treasury paid to the homeowner.

The memory of the Russian tsar is still alive in Britain. A small street in Deptford is named Tsar Street. The Shemyakin monument is located closer to the Thames, and the bronze eyes of the tsar gaze at the river, beyond which he envisioned the boundless, alluring ocean.