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Bronze statue of Boudica, called “Boadicea and Her
Daughters” - now a listed building
The other side features a quote from the 1782 William
Cowper’s poem “Boadicea, A Ode”:
REGIONS CAESAR NEVER KNEW
THY POSTERITY SHALL SWAY
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Boudica was the Queen of the Iceni, one of the many
Celtic tribes (or Britons) in Ancient Britain, during the Roman conquest (1st
century AD).
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Thomas Thornycroft
worked of this sculpture from 1856 to 1885. Prince Albert lent his horses as models, as
he and Queen Victoria encouraged the sculptor. However, Prince Albert died
before the work was completed. The statue was cast in bronze 17 years after the
death of the artist (and the year after the queen’s death) in 1902.
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Aside from the fact that the choice of some items are
culturally incorrect (such as a Roman
chariot), many ironical points could be raised about this great looking
sculpture.
The Queen of the Iceni, who led an uprising against the
Romans - after they ignored her husband’s will in order to take all his land,
flogged her and raped her two daughters - is here identified by her Latin name
first.
In her fight against the invading troops, she, with the
help of two other tribes, destroyed Colchester but also this city of London
(then known by the Romans as Londinium) - before poisoning herself, rather than being captured
(according to Tacitus). Yet, this defiantly rebellious figure gained centre stage in the
Victorian era, the age of the British Empire, and she can now often be used as
a representation of a triumphant establishment.
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The front of the plinth reads:
BOADICEA
BOUDICCA
QUEEN OF THE ICENI
WHO DIED A.D. 61
AFTER LEADING HER PEOPLE
AGAINST THE ROMAN INVADER
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Here she is on a GB miniature sheet issued for the 150th
anniversary of the Penny Black stamp, with Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth
II, both direct descendants of William I, the Norman Conqueror of Viking
ancestry…
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| The River Thames at Westminster Bridge. The Ferris Wheel called London Eye is on the south bank – where we pursued our walk. The next bridges are The Golden Jubilee bridges. |
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Down below is Westminster Millennium Pier, where tourists
can board river boats. Five new piers were opened in 2000.
The river seemed quite busy with such vessels between Westminster and the Tower of London.
The large white building with ionic columns, across the
river, is County Hall (see next post).
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The Coats of Arms of Queen Victoria (left) and Albert, Prince
Consort (right). There are smaller shields of their coats of arms on the sides of
bridge, facing the water.
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The South Bank Lion weighs 13 tons and is nearly 180
years old. It was one of the 3 lions which stood above the entrance to the Lion
Brewery (in Lambeth, London) demolished in 1949 -
the site is now the Royal
Festival Hall, in the South Bank Centre, Europe’s largest centre for the arts,
and it is only half a mile downriver).
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| The South Bank Lion, the London Eye and County Hall (see next post). |
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The Lion Brewery was one of the oldest and a pioneer in
the field of porter beer production; it was also known as the Red Lion Brewery,
therefore this white lion is sometimes called The Red Lion. What’s more, for a while, it stood at Waterloo
Station, where it had been painted red to match with the British Rail logo. The
lion has been at Westminster Bridge since 1966. Under one of his paw are the
sculptor’s initials and the date 24 May 1837.
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Coades artificial stone or Coade stone is a ceramic-based
stoneware invented by an Eleanor Coade in 1770. It was then used for moulding
statues, which have proved to be weatherproof. It has been used, for instance, at
The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, Kew Gardens, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace…
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If one steps off the footpath, one can take a photo of
Westminster Bridge with what seems less tourists on it… Although, I should have
checked what double red lines mean… “No Stopping At Any Time”? Oh dear, I stood
still and broke the law to take this shot !
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Where are the zombies when you need one?
Westminster Bridge was the location of a famous scene in
Danny Boyle’s film “28 days Later”
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Westminster Bridge under construction from the south-east abutment,
by Canaletto (1747) |
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Shields with the coats of arms of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert can be spotted here, on the side of the bridge, which is made of wrought iron. The Gothic-style was designed by Charles Barry, the architect behind the current Palace of Westminster. (see post http://gherkinscall.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/the-palace-of-westminster.html) |
Next post: The Queen’s Walk, South Bank - part 1: passing the London Eye, County Hall and Jubilee Gardens
http://gherkinscall.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/london-eye-county-hall.html
http://gherkinscall.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/london-eye-county-hall.html
