Sculpture – Page 3 – Symbols & Secrets

Last Saturday I visited what is, in my opinion, the most extraordinary pub in the City, the Blackfriar …

It’s a tall, narrow, wedge shaped treat of a building squeezed in between two roads and a railway bridge.

A jolly, corpulent friar embodies the name of the place …

He harks back to the Dominican monastery that once stood on the site before the Dissolution of the 16th century saw it sold off or leased to weathy merchants.

You get a sense of how extraordinary this pub is before you even enter. Here the cellarer carries wine along with the keys to his domain …

Inspecting the day’s catch whilst either side friars tuck in to pie and cheese…

More carvings to make you smile …

Intricate brass signage …

And all this before you even go in the door.

And when you do, what a sight awaits.

Friars going about their daily lives. Harvesting on Saturday afternoon …

Above the bar, a bronze bas-relief entitled Tomorrow will be Friday depicts them catching trout and eels …

Singing carols …

You can dine in the cosy Grotto which was excavated from the railway vault. There are various sayings and mottos to amuse and enlighten you. HASTE IS SLOW, FINERY IS FOOLERY …

And my two favourites, A GOOD THING IS SOON SNATCHED UP with a grinning friar pushing a pig in a wheelbarrow …

I also like DON’T ADVERTISE TELL A GOSSIP …

Note the two devils. There are four in each corner of the room amusing themselves with an entertaining pastime – these two are play-acting and painting.

Admire the mosaic ceiling and observe the friar on the left …

He’s stuffing his face with food thereby representing one of the seven deadly sins – gluttony …

Five more sins are represented but for some reason ‘lust’ has been omitted.

More monks work hard supporting lamp shades …

There’s a lovely stained glass window depicting a friar working at dawn in a sunlit garden. Many people comment on his pointy, Mr Spock-type ears …

You will find a very informative and interesting history of the pub and the craftsmen who helped create its unique environment here in the excellent Victorian Web blog. I also strongly recommend this article by Jane Peyton which points out other aspects of the decoration that I have not mentioned. Read more about the City monasteries and in particular the Blackfriars in my blog on the subject which you can find here.

I’ve eaten here in the Grotto many times over the years and the food (especially the fish and chips) has always been good. If you visit, raise a glass to Sir John Betjeman and others who campaigned to save this building from demolition in the 1960s. It is now Grade II* listed and so should be safe from future vandals.

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Heading east again – London City Island and Trinity Buoy Wharf.

By The City Gent

On 7th November 2024

In Art, Commerce, Sculpture

Regular readers will know that when I find it a bit difficult to source new stories about the City I head east and this is a report on one of my sorties.

I travelled on the Docklands Light Railway to Canning Town, making sure, of course, that I got a front seat so I could pretend to drive the train …

Trinity Buoy Wharf was my ultimate destination but I got there via London City Island and took a few images along the way.

Crossing the bridge to get there …

London City Island is described in its advertising as ‘a new Island neighbourhood on one of the best-connected sites in the capital. Bridging the business might of neighbouring Canary Wharf and the cultural energy of east London, London City Island is one of the most important waterside projects London has seen in recent years – an award-winning place that has received accolades from multiple prestigious awards bodies’. It was very pleasant to walk through.

The English National Ballet is here …

The sculpture is called After The Dance by Colin Spofforth (2023) …

I love a good ghost sign …

A strange fact associated with this place. In 1877 Togo Heihachiro, later a prominent Japanese Admiral, came for work experience with the Samuda Brothers after completing his training at the Naval Preparatory School in Portsmouth and the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. After returning to Japan, he led the Imperial Japanese Navy navy to victory in the Russo-Japanese War, establishing Japan as a Great Power. How ironic is that.

To say that Mr Mare of the above company had a colourful career would be an understatement. Once an MP, and apparently a millionaire, he was unseated for bribery in 1853 and declared bankrupt for the first of four times in 1855. He eventually died in Stepney in 1898 totally destitute. His story is told in fascinating detail in this Victorian Commons blog. Highly recommended.

The gates are by the sculptor Sir Anthony Caro …

I loved the texture and colours of this old brick wall nearby …

Some more artwork and sculpture along the way …

My final destination …

You know you are somewhere special when you see a London taxi with a tree growing out of its roof plonked on top of the local cafe …

The tree is an artificial sculptural construction made of metal. It was made by the artist Andrew Baldwin, who spent many years training as a master blacksmith and welder. I found images of the work before it was placed on the roof and of the lifting exercise itself …

The taxi/tree sculpture is a good example of Baldwin’s witty approach to artworks and there are some more of his unusual and original metal sculptures to be seen around the wharf …

Half man half dolphin riding a penny-farthing …

Steel house …

Some other images from around the wharf.

The Trinity House Coat of Arms – Trinitas in Unitate – Three in One …

Old tug boat with Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome in the background …

Redundant machinery rusting away colourfully …

Anchor with the lightship in the background …

From an image point of view, a blue sky behind a red subject is perfect!

More sculptures …

Appropriately, I’ll finish with a buoy …

This was a great place to visit and you can read more about it here.

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The story of Blackfriars Bridge.

By The City Gent

On 24th October 2024

In Architecture, Sculpture, Transport

The first Blackfriars Bridge was designed by Robert Mylne and openened in 1769. It was constructed from Portland Stone which, although attractive, was quickly weakened by damage from barges, ice and pollution …

The bridge in 1762, a painting by William Marlow …

Gradually its foundations started to become undermined and by the 1850s it was apparent that continual repair was not feasible and the bridge had to be replaced. The new bridge was designed by Joseph Cubitt (1811-1872) who also designed the adjacent railway bridge …

The foundation stone was laid by the Lord Mayor on 25 July 1865 – here’s an invitation to the event …

Under construction in 1868 …

Divers wearing what was then modern gear invented in the 1830s …

The formal opening by Queen Victoria in 1869 …

The bridge in 1896 with the station under development …

Image from (probably) 1914 …

Here are a few things to look out for as you cross the bridge today.

There are a series of columns rising out of the river …

These are the remains of the original railway bridge, which was removed in 1985 as it was deemed too weak for modern trains.

Note the pulpit-shaped tops of the bridge pillars. They reference the original monastery of the Black Friars or Dominican monks, evicted by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538. I have written about the Medieval monasteries in an earlier blog which you can find here …

On the south side is the beautifully painted coat of arms of the London Chatham & Dover Railway …

Note the white horse rampant, symbol of Kent, and the county motto ‘Invicta’ meaning ‘undefeated’ or ‘unconquered’.

And now some features not everyone notices. Peer over the parapet and on either side you will see some birds on the capitals of the bridge supports, meticulously carved in Portland stone by J.B.Philip.

The birds on the west side are fresh water birds and plants to be found on the upper reaches of the river …

And on the east side, sea birds and seaweeds to be found at the mouth of the Thames …

On the north side of the bridge is one of my favourite water fountains, recently liberated from behind hoardings and nicely restored …

The pretty lady represents ‘Temperance’ and she originally stood outside the Royal Exchange. You can see an image of her in that position here.

The fountain was inaugurated by Samuel Gurney, MP, the Chairman of the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountains Association, on 27 July 1861 and you can read more about him, and the Association, in my earlier blog Philanthropic Fountains.

In the middle of the road, Her Majesty gazes imperiously towards the City …

If you get the chance, pop in to the spanking new Blackfriars Station.

Nowadays, if you want to travel by rail to Continental Europe, you head for St Pancras International and Eurostar. Once upon a time though, your gateway to the Continent was Blackfriars Station.

The station was badly damaged during the Second World War but the wall displaying a selection of the locations you could catch a train to survived and you can see it today in the ticket hall. It was part of the original façade of the 1886 station (originally known as St Paul’s) and features the names of 54 destinations – each painstakingly carved into separate sandstone blocks …

The destinations are gilded in 24 carat gold leaf …

‘Where shall we buy a ticket to today? Crystal Palace or Marseilles? Westgate-on-Sea or St Petersburg? Tough choices!’

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Walking the City of London

Category: Sculpture Page 3 of 36

The brilliant, beautiful Blackfriar pub – an Art Nouveau masterpiece.

Heading east again – London City Island and Trinity Buoy Wharf.

The story of Blackfriars Bridge.