City signs, symbols and statues: what’s on our streets
The City’s streets are populated with ancient and iconic symbols, public art, historical references, wayfinding signs and strange sights. Here’s ten to look out for.
1. Public art
The City’s streets are home to a wealth of public art. From ancient to modern, statues, sculptures, monuments and installations abound – so much so that a hefty book detailing them and running over 500 pages has been written (Public Sculpture of the City of London by Philip Ward-Jackson). It’s impossible to list them all here but three of the more well-known are Stephen Melton’s LIFFE Trader in Walbrook which has become a symbol of City trading, Alma Boyes’ Cordwainer on Watling Street which commemorates 100 years of the ward of Cordwainer Club (a cordwainer was a shoe maker and/or soft leather worker) and Anthony Gormley’s (of Angel of the North fame) Resolution at the corner of Shoe Lane and St Bride Street.
2. Lombard signs
On Lombard Street and Cornhill are a number of ancient shop and bank signs that might be more at home in a period costume drama that today’s modern City. History has it that, in 1902, the signs were re-hung for the coronation of Edward VII. Framed in iron and thick as paving stones, these type of signs were once a feature of every commercial street in London but banned in 1762, not only because there were so many of them and they were obscuring one another, but also because they had become a health hazard after one fell down and killed four people.
3 City dragons
All major entrances and exits to the City are guarded by the City’s dragons. There is a common misconception that they are griffins, but their authenticity can be verified by the fact they have scales, not fur and feathers. Dragons are symbols of protection in heraldic terms – and it is dragons that support the City’s shield in its ancient coat of arms (which can seen all across the City). The shield that the dragons hold shows the cross of St George and a small red sword in its top left quarter. This is believed to be the sword of St Paul, the City’s patron saint. The dragons provide a great way to tell if you’re entering or exiting the City – if you are looking at their tongues, you’re on your way in, if you’re facing their tails, you’re leaving.
4. Ward signs
The City is divided into 25 wards – each of which is represented by a number of Members (those elected to sit on the City Corporation’s Court of Common Council, the body that provides local government services here). Within each ward, ward signs can be found. Many of these are small oval ceramic plaques stating the name of the ward only; others are much larger affairs, made of wood in a three panel design and listing the elected Members for that ward. Given the City’s comparatively small size (just over a square mile) and the number of wards, visitors are likely to come across these signs regularly.
5. Coats-of-arms
On top of many buildings, on walls and on bridges across the City are a huge number of coats-of-arms. As well as the City’s own armorial bearings (on street name plates and on City-Corporation-owned buildings), are those belonging to some of its most historic institutions. Most notably are those of its ancient livery companies (or guilds) which furnish the facades of the companies’ halls. These, in particular, are quite splendid – many of them three-dimensional and colourfully-painted. If heraldry interests you, look no further, the City is home to the College of Arms, the official repository for heraldic, genealogical and ceremonial records covering the past 500 years. Fee-paying tours can be booked for those wishing to visit its Record Room and receive a lecture (further info can be obtained from the College of Arms website)
6. Church ruins
One of the more peculiar characteristics of the City is its selection of church ruins, some of which have been developed into beautiful gardens, some of which have been left untouched. These churches are victims of the Great Fire of 1666, the Blitz or diminishing congregations and financial constraint. Of the more beautiful, the dramatic and lush gardens at St Dunstan in the East and Christ Church Newgate are the best examples; of the more bizarre is St Alban Wood Street – a victim of the Blitz, only the tower remains, marooned on a tiny traffic island.
7. Finials
Atop domes, spires, towers, monuments and roofs all across the City, are finials – symbols relating to the nature of the building or defining what it represents. Some of these are quite spectacular and a few are very well-known. The Great Fire of London in 1666 is remembered with burning urn finials at The Monument and in Paternoster Square; the famous fish on top of the old Billingsgate Market denote its original business; and, perhaps most famous of all, the scales of justice that stand tall above Old Bailey are used regularly in legal dramas, films and books.
8. Blue plaques
There are currently over 90 blue plaques the City. Produced by the City of London Corporation, these plaques look a little different to those you’ll find elsewhere in the UK. They’re rectangular tiles (not circular) and use a very striking deep blue which helps them stand out and be seen. Some recall famous people and long-forgotten individuals that had links with the City, others buildings, institutions and churches that have long since disappeared. Hunting these plaques down requires eagle-eyed patience as they can be found in some very obscure locations but the effort is worthwhile as it helps to build a picture of how the City was – what and who was where. Look out for plaques commemorating Samuel Pepys, Elizabeth Fry and Richard (Dick) Whittington – all of whom lived in the City.
9. The Bridge House mark
In and around the City, and at the southern end of London Bridge you might chance upon this unusual mark. Its origins can be traced back to 1097 when William Rufus, second son of William the Norman, raised a special tax to help repair London Bridge. By the end of the 12th century, a new bridge had been built and the shops and houses adorning it were generating increased trade, taxes, rents and bequests. A significant fund began to accumulate. Administered from a building on the south side of the bridge called Bridge House, the fund became known as the Bridge House Estates. Over succeeding centuries, it has been skilfully administered by its trustee, the City of London, and it now maintains the five bridges that cross the Thames into the Square Mile as well as operating one of London's main grant giving bodies – the City Bridge Trust. The Bridge House Estates mark has been the identifying emblem of the original trust (which is the oldest charity in London) for many centuries. The earliest version of it dates back to 1509 and is in the Museum of London. It is likely that the mark as we see it today was designed by William Leybourn, a 17th-century City Surveyor, supposedly paid £5 for his work. But there are many versions of the mark and much debate as to its true creator.
10. Wayfinding signs
In July 2006, new maps, information ‘nodes’ and ‘fingerposts’ were installed throughout the City to help visitors, workers and residents find their way. The project – Mapping the City – was innovative because instead of adding more to already overcrowded streets, it actually de-cluttered them, making orientation easier and faster while halving the number of pedestrian signs. Over 260 signs were installed which, rather than following the usual north/south axis, incorporate maps that follow the direction of pedestrian movement. The signage system has won plaudits from many sources including being highly commended in the FX Design Awards.