Guy The London Guide Blog Updates

The door, the statue and the City of London [Arts]

GuyTheLondonGuide@GuyTheLondonGuide.com (Guy Fairbank) — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 18:25:35 +0100

200 miles north of London, near the cathedral city of Ripon, lies Newby Hall. It’s a handsome house, originally built by Sir Christopher Wren and enlarged and improved by John Carr of York and Robert Adam. It was once owned by the Weddell family, and later became the home of the Marquesses of Ripon. Today it’s owned by the Compton family, who are descendants of the family and who have maintained its beautiful gardens. They’ve even installed a miniature railway (and Gyles Brandreth’s collection of teddy bears). Walk around the extensive grounds and aside from the herbaceous borders, an enchanting rock garden and the gentle River Ure, you’ll find a weatherbeaten equestrian statue and a rusty old door, leading nowhere. Look at them more closely and you’ll discover they both have City of London connections. The man on the horse looks quite the worse for wear, but when you learn of his history, you can understand. He’s travelled all the way from Livorno in Italy, once known as Leghorn. Originally the figure represented John III Sobieski, King of Poland from 1674 to 1696. He was a notable soldier, who most famously led the army that defeated the Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The city had been besieged for two months, until the combined armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the command of Sobieski, broke the siege and scattered the Ottoman forces. The Pope saw Sobieski as the saviour of Western European civilisation, which explains the original erection of his statue in Italy. The statue is made from Carrara marble, while the reins are made from bronze. It stands on an ashlar plinth, which was added later. Looking majestic, the Polish king is seen holding the reins, staff in hand, as the horse tramples on the cowering figure of a Turk, his left hand raised to protect him - except the figures are no longer of a Pole and a Turk. Instead, they were changed to represent

Track the Vintners' plaques [History]

GuyTheLondonGuide@GuyTheLondonGuide.com (Guy Fairbank) — Sun, 29 May 2022 16:58:12 +0100

The Grapes, Lime Street As you turn right out of Mansion House Station and walk down Garlick Hill, look up to your left and you’ll see two Vintners’ plaques positioned high up on a redbrick building. The property is no longer in the Company’s possession but it reminds us that across the centuries, throughout the City, several addresses were acquired by the Vintners’ Company. Despite a change of ownership, and indeed in most cases a complete rebuild, you can still find clear signs of our previous extensive involvement in real estate. Just to the east of Leadenhall Market is Lime Street, a curving street that leads up to the Lloyds building. Above the appropriately named Grapes pub there’s the Vintners’ coat of arms and motto. Our interest in the property dates back to the reign of Edward VI, when in 1550 a Christopher Barker bequeathed the property to the Company in his will. We no longer have his will but the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) hold the deeds from 1423. The latest is dated to 1939 so it appears we held onto the property for nearly 400 years, along with numbers 13 and 14 next door. When in Lime Street, also look out for a plaque to the Pewterers’ Company on the corner: a reminder that their hall once stood here, before a careless cook caused a catastrophic fire. The next marker is a little harder to find but it’s well worth the effort. North of the church of St Vedast Alias Foster lies Fountain Court: look for a narrow passageway off Foster Lane. Around this charming little garden you’ll find a sculptured head of former vicar Canon Charles Mortlock by Jacob Epstein, a section of Roman tessellated pavement found beneath the demolished church of St Matthew Friday Street, and an Assyrian brick, from the excavations on the Ziggurat of Kalhu (modern day Nimrud). It was given by archaeologist and parishioner Max Mallowan, husband of Agatha Christie, in

No Dove Lost [Literature]

GuyTheLondonGuide@GuyTheLondonGuide.com (Guy Fairbank) — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 19:01:48 +0100

Emery Walker House During the First World War, if you’d been walking across Hammersmith Bridge at night you might have spotted a shifty looking gentleman surreptitiously throwing bits of metal off the bridge and into the River Thames. This mysterious dumper was a disgruntled bookbinder by the name of Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson, who died 100 years ago this year. As for the metal, they were his collection of Doves Type, a beautifully designed font created with his partner Emery Walker. In the last years of the 19th century Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson (1840-1922) decided to abandon his life as a barrister and become a bookbinder. With his wife he set up the Doves Press at 1 Hammersmith Terrace, which they named after their local pub, the historic Dove. In 1900 he went into partnership with an engraver Emery Walker (1851-1933) and for the next few years created some of the most beautifully printed Arts and Crafts books. Inspired by 15th century Italian Renaissance books they designed a special Doves Press. They carved the punches by hand and only used one size - 16pt, in upper and lower case and no italics. Each book was beautifully produced and of the finest quality. They didn’t include illustrations; instead they used large wood-engraved capital letters. Their Doves Bible was a notable example of their craftsmanship. But their partnership did not last. Cobden-Sanderson became difficult to work with and their business arrangement was dissolved. It was agreed that Cobden-Sanderson would retain the exclusive rights as the older man, then on his death they would pass to Walker. Nonetheless, after the press closed in 1916, Cobden-Sanderson noted in his diary that he had ‘bequeathed’ the type to the bed of the River Thames. In fact he didn’t want the type falling into his ex-partner’s hands. Over several months, from August 1916 to January 1917, punches, frames and type were

A Bridge over Hammersmith [History]

GuyTheLondonGuide@GuyTheLondonGuide.com (Guy Fairbank) — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 13:52:00 +0100

Currently closed for 3 years, Hammersmith Bridge is one of London’s most attractive crossings. There’s been a bridge connecting Hammersmith and Barnes for nearly 200 years, and ever since the first one was opened in 1827 there have been complaints about its strength.

With Hammersmith becoming an important agricultural and industrial part of west London there had been an increasing need to add more river crossings. With this in mind the authorities turned to local engineer William Tierney Clark, who’s best known for the Széchenyi Chain Bridge that spans the Danube in Budapest. Even at the start of the work, when the Duke of Sussex blessed the bridge, there were concerns about the bridge’s capacity to take weight. This came to a climax in 1870 when some 10,000 people gathered on the bridge to witness the annual University Boat Race. Newspapers reported ‘the shameful overcrowding’ as the bridge swayed. There was only one solution: build a stronger, safer structure.

This time they turned to Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the go-to engineer most famous for designing London’s sewer system. Work began on the new bridge in 1884 and was completed in 1887, with the Prince of Wales officially opening the bridge on 11 June of that year. While Bazalgette’s new bridge was being constructed, a temporary bridge was erected alongside it to allow traffic to continue crossing the river between Hammersmith and Barnes.

A group of people living in Barnes, concerned about the difficulties they would face to reach Hammersmith while the suspension bridge was b

Can City [Business]

GuyTheLondonGuide@GuyTheLondonGuide.com (Guy Fairbank) — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 14:32:00 +0000

London loves to give its skyscrapers nicknames, and one of the newest has been christened the ‘Can of Ham’. Its actual name is 70 St Mary Axe, and even that street has an interesting derivation.

The Can of Ham has been designed by Foggo Associates, whose distinctive work can also be seen above Cannon Street Station and along Queen Victoria Street. Their latest construction has been designed in response to local views and comprises 24 floors and 28,000 square metres of office space. Its unique design could be said to incorporate just 3 facades and no roof; instead, curved glass and anodised aluminium wrap around the building - almost like a tin (of ham).

With ecological matters at the forefront the Can can boast some very green credentials, with borehole thermal energy and vertical shading fins added to the sides to make the most of the sun. Workers are encouraged to cycle in, and 328 bicycle spaces, 360 lockers and 32 showers have been provided. At present you can gain access to the foyer - and it’s well worth doing so.

Sidley Austin, a US-based law firm have moved in. It is hoped the public will be able to get to the gallery terrace on the 21st floor.

As for the name of St Mary Axe? It comes from the church of St Mary Axe - or to give its full name: St Mary the Virgin and St Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins - which no longer exists.

The church is said to have possessed one