Looking for the gherkin at dusk... I took quite a few
photos along our walk, on Watlin Street, Queen Victoria Street, Bank Junction
and Threadneedle Street.
Every street seemed to be an equal mix of the old and the
new, in terms of architecture – with many new buildings still in construction.
Approaching Bank Junction (where 9 streets converge):
1 Queen Street / City of London Magistrates Court (dark
building with green roof - on right);
“The Gherkin” and “The Cheese Grater” skyscrapers behind
the pilasters of Mansion House;
the portico of The Royal Exchange;
on the left, the columns of The Bank of England.
>
The “Walkie-Talkie” can be glimpsed here, between 1 Queen
Victoria Street (on left) and another church redesigned by Sir Christopher
Wren: St Stephen Walbrook (on right), and behind Mansion House (building with
pilasters).
Mansion House (1752), listed building and City Government
Office. It is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London and is used
for some of the City of London’s official functions. It used to have its own
court of law and 11 cells – the one for women was known as “the birdcage” and
suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst was held prisoner here.
Building on the right is the
< Mansion House on the right.
>
Better view of the “Walkie-Talkie” on the right of the dome
of London Executive Offices (office rental service), on Cornhill.
Church St Mary Woolnoth (parapet at the top of flat turrets,
two Corinthian pilasters, clock on the side wall) on the site of previous pagan,
Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman religious structures. Guess what? Wren had to
repair the 15th century church, but the current 1727 English Baroque
church is by Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Grey spire of St Edmund, King and Martyr church (rebuilt
by Wren), now London Centre for Spirituality.
There was a diversion, sirens and a police escort… but it was for the filming of a movie scene.
The camera crew followed the police bikes into Princes Street. Nat West bank building on the left.
More details of the sculpted work on the Nat West branch at 1 Princes Street, Bank Junction (3 pics).
Opposite is the Bank of England with the entrance to an underground passage. Not to be confused with the Underground Bank Station (for “The Tube”) just outside the Nat West; nor the (Rail) Bank Station across the road…
>
Dragons from the City of London coat of arms, in the
underground passage at the Bank of England.
Mercury or Shakespeare’s Ariel, depending on the source, on the little dome of The Bank of England, as seen from Princes Street.
The Bank of England, along Threadneedle Street >
Bronze doors at the Bank of England on Threadneedle
Street.
Left hand door: Three lions from the Royal Arms, above a
panel featuring serpents. Centre doors:
One has representations of the foundation of the Bank:
inscription around the lion’s head reads “DOMVS HÆC REGNO GVLIELMI III REG
FVNDATA EST – MDCXCIV” (1694) and the caduceus, with wave pattern and dolphins,
is surmounted by a sailing ship of the days of William III and the
constellations of Ursa Major (The Great Bear), plus the lodestar Polaris /
North Star.
The other one bears references to the rebuilding in 1930: inscription around the lion’s head reads “DOMVS HÆC REGNO GEORGII V REGIM PREFECTAE EST – MCMXXX,” the caduceus, with wings and swallows, is surmounted by the hand of Zeus grasping lightning and the constellation of The Southern Cross.
The other one bears references to the rebuilding in 1930: inscription around the lion’s head reads “DOMVS HÆC REGNO GEORGII V REGIM PREFECTAE EST – MCMXXX,” the caduceus, with wings and swallows, is surmounted by the hand of Zeus grasping lightning and the constellation of The Southern Cross.
On the right hand door: Two lions guarding a mound of
gold >
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United
Kingdom. Its mission is to promote the good of the people of the UK by
maintaining monetary and financial stability.
Nicknamed The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street: it moved
here in 1734, though the site was extended over the next 100 years. Apparently,
the previous building (by Sir John Soane) was a masterpiece and I believe the
surrounding walls have been kept (darker colour at street level). The current
Neo-Georgian building is by Sir Herbert Baker and has been described as a
monstrosity.
On the façade, on the tympanum, again in Roman Numerals:
the dates of foundation and of the rebuilding, encircled in sculpted wreaths, with,
in the middle, a thief stealing the bank… She is in fact called The Lady of the
Bank, she sits on a globe with a pile of coins – same difference. The sculptor
was Sir Charles Wheeler and he also created the 6 tall statues set against the
wall under the portico. Not technically
caryatids and telemones, the male figures represent custodianship: they
hold either keys, chains or rolled up flags; while the female ones hold horns
of plenty. Pre-recession design.
With the London Troops War Memorial, in tribute to the
Londoners who served and died in WWI and WWII.
A listed monument, the London Troops War Memorial was first
unveiled in 1920, by Prince Albert, Duke of York (future King George VI). A
brass plaque indicates that it was raised by public subscription in 1919.
7.5 metres high, Portland stone on granite base with
life-size bronze statues of two soldiers with rifles (Royal Fusilier and Royal
Rifle Artillery).
The east side features the coat of arms of the County of
London and the names of the London regiments engaged in WWI and WWII.
The lion on top of the column grips a medallion featuring
St George on horseback killing the dragon – it also states St George For
England.
The sculpted-in-stone coat of arms under that, on the
column itself, is The City of London arms with two dragons.
Below is inscribed, “TO THE IMMORTAL HONOUR OF THE OFFICERS,
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF LONDON WHO SERVED THEIR KING AND EMPIRE IN
THE GREAT WAR 1914–1919. THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED IN PROUD & GRATEFUL
RECOGNITION BY THE CITY AND COUNTY OF LONDON.
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.
UNVEILED ON NOV 12TH 1920 BY H.R.H. THE DUKE OF YORK ON BEHALF
OF FIELD MARSHAL H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT K.G., K.T., K.P.”
On the base, has been added, “AND ALBEIT MANY UNITS NAMED
HEREON HAVE CHANGED IN DESIGNATION AND ROLE, WE HONOUR AND REMEMBER THE MEN AND
WOMEN WHO SERVED IN ALL THE UNITS OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF LONDON IN THE WAR
OF 1939–1945”
Statue of Wellington on a horse, erected in 1844. Field
Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) famously defeated
Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and gave his name to the boots with which he
kicked the little dictator… The bronze
used to cast the statue of Wellington comes from the cannons captured from the
enemy. The monument was unveiled just before the reopening of the Royal
Exchange (building with columns and pediment, behind it – see further down).
Oh my… the gherkin is gone!
Who ate my gherkin?!
Phew, I can see the very top of the gherkin…
On Cornhill, statue of James Henry Greathead, which was erected by Bank station in 1994. The Russian flag on the building behind is flown because it is the premises of VTP Capital (VTB Group’s Corporate Investment Business), a Russian international investment bank.
Greathead (1844-1896) was a civil engineer, famous for working on the London Underground railway
system, notably the now-Northern Line (the world's first underground electric
railway in 1890). He also invented/patented
the Greathead Injector Hydrant, Greathead Shield and Greathead
Grouting Machine.
On the pedestal is inscribed, “Inventor of the travelling
shield that made possible the cutting of the tunnels of London’s deep level
tube system.” Appropriately, the plinth of this monument hides a
ventilation shaft over the Northern Line.
The Royal Exchange. Opened in 1571 to act as a centre of
commerce for the City of London, although the current and 3rd building dates
from 1844.
The steps of the Royal Exchange was where royal
proclamations, such as dissolution of Parliament, would traditionally be read
by a crier.
In golden lettering, is a Latin inscription indicating
that the Royal Exchange was founded in the 13th year of Queen Elizabeth’s reign,
and restored in the 7th year of Queen Victoria’s reign.
Since 2013, it is owned by Oxford Properties (Canadian
properties). It houses offices, over 30 luxury stores and several cafés and
restaurants.
Above the doorway, in stone, the coat of arms of the UK.
Sculpted frieze on the tympanum features representations
of commerce, with the Biblical quote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the
fullness thereof” (1 Corinthians 10:26)
In the distance, the three shafts of Tower 42 skyscraper.
Mounted clock at the Royal Exchange on Threadneedle
Street - above it, what seems to be the dragons of the City of London coat of
arms (not sure what the shield is about), with Atlas on top, Britannia on one
side, Neptune on the other and probably the words “service and protection”
below (identical clock on the other side of the building).
On the wall of the Royal Exchange: a highly ornate VR royal
cypher (the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria opened the building in 1844).
Impressive iron work at the Royal Exchange (Threadneedle
Street). The medallions show a maiden, the symbol of the Mercers’ Company.
Thomas Gresham, a mercer, had bequeathed the first Royal Exchange jointly to
the Mercers and the City of London Corporation. The TG lettering in cast iron, below
the medallions, are his initials.
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| The entrance to Grand Café & Bar, at The Royal Exchange. |
This lane is called Royal Exchange Buildings, and is the
east-side of the Royal Exchange. The tower with a dome is part of the building
and the weather vane is a gilded grasshopper, from the Gresham family crest.
The statue in the foreground is George Peabody (1795-1869)
who founded the Peabody Trust, London’s oldest housing organisation (charity
and urban regeneration agency). He was an American-British financier and
philanthropist. Monument erected in 1871.
This bust erected in 1976, is of Paul Julius Reuter (1816-1899)
who, in 1851, founded the Reuters news agency here at No. 1, Royal Exchange
Buildings (though it then moved to Fleet Street). Born in Germany, naturalised
British, he died in Nice, France. He was a reporter and a pioneer in telegraphy
and at first used carrier pigeons, before using telegraph links. In 1851, he
had a fleet of 45 Pigeons carrying the latest share prices and news between
Brussels and Germany, beating the train by 6 hours. In 1863, he privately
erected a telegraph link to Crookhaven - the farthest south-west point of
Ireland. Canisters containing the latest news, could be thrown in the sea when
the ships coming from America were passing near Crookhaven… Reuters would
retrieve the canisters and telegraph the news immediately to London!
Originally a drinking fountain, this statue represents
Motherhood - erected in 1878 >
The City Wing (10 metres high, made of bronze, 2009-13),
by Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy of Arts - cast by Morris
Singer Art Founders, the oldest fine art foundry in the world.
Marco Pierre White Wheeler's Oyster Bar & Grill Room,
on Threadneedle Street >
< Burger & Lobster restaurant, Threadneedle Street. Also
on Threadneedle Street: Brasserie Blanc (Raymond Blanc) and Jamie’s Italian
(Jamie Oliver) at the junction with Bishopsgate, opposite Lloyd’s Bank.
Adam’s Court >
Next post: Bishopsgate
