The Fourth Plinth

 

The Fourth Plinth refers to one of plinths (or platforms) at Trafalgar Square in London.  The plinths are positioned on all four corners of the square and three of them have contained statues for many years.  The plinth in the northwest corner has remained empty for over 150 years.  

Around 1998, The Fourth Plinth Project was conceived.  Artists were commissioned to create artworks to be placed on the plinth for a period of time.  

When I was in London last fall, this is the sculpture that was holding this prized spot.

This work was created by Samson Kambalu and it is called "Antelope."  The sculpture is based on a photograph taken in 1914.  Information about it is below.

In 2013, this was the sculpture sitting on the plinth when I visited London.  "Hahn/Cock" was created by artist Katharina Fritsch.  

When I visited London in 2016, this was the sculpture atop the plinth.  This sculpture is by David Shrigley and it's called "Really Good".  

You can find more information about The Fourth Plinth artistic project here.  There is a list of all the artworks that have adorned this spot.  

City Full of Art

 

London is a city that is full of public art and it's not all warriors on horseback.  In some places you will find art that is totally unexpected.  Here is a fine example. This is a Wind Sculpture by British/Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare.  His art works are  influenced by cultural identities, colonialism and globalization.  

He has many of these wind sculptures in different sizes, colors and patterns.  I read that there is one in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C.  

Here is another sculpture I came across on my wanderings around the city.  This one is a memorial bust of the organist/composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695).  His face is intertwined with flowers and blooms symbolizing " The Flowering of the English Baroque".

This sculpture was created by Glynn Williams and was unveiled on this spot by Princess Margaret in November of 1995.

Industrial Sculpture

 

When I was making my way to the Tate Britain Museum, I exited the Pimlico Tube station and noticed a rather strange looking structure across the street.  It looked like something out of "Dr. Who".  It appeared to have some kind of purpose but what could it be.  In the end, I couldn't figure it out so I photographed it so I could do some research at a later date.

My investigations discovered that it is a sculpture by the Scottish artist, Eduardo Paolozzi. But, it also has a real purpose.  In the 1980's, the artist was asked to create ventilation shaft cover for an underground car park at this location.  This is that cover.  I love it, something utilitarian as well as artistic.  I always like a piece of art that makes me want to learn more.

Eduardo Paolozzi is the same artist who created this large sculpture that has place of pride in front of the British Library.  This piece is called Newton After Blake. This sculpture is based on a 1795 print called Newton: Personification of Man Limited by Reason.  Paolozzi was commissioned to create a sculpture for the new library and his "Newton"  was installed in 1995.

Paolozzi was fascinated by the relationship between man and machine and turning junk into new forms.  Much of his work has mechanical look to it.

A Room Full of Copies

 

There is one large gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum that contain copies or casts of artworks from all over the world. Here is perfect cast of Michelangelo's David.  

Behind David in the lower right you can see a small cast for Donatello's David.

Just to the left of David is a copy of a famous painting that resides in the Vatican Museum. It's a perfect copy of Raphael's The School of Athens.  

This room in the museum was created especially to display these plaster casts that have been part of the museum's collections since the museum was founded in 1851.  

The museum collected these "copies" so that people who didn't have the means to travel could enjoy them and learn from them.

The copies of Trajan's columns are especially impressive.  

I especially liked the cast above.  It is described as a Tympanum dating between 1852-54 from England.   A little research found that this was over a doorway in a church in Shobdon that was demolished in the 18th century.  Two doors from the church were erected in a park in Shobdon as a folly.  This copy was made from that folly in the 1850's.  I found a site with a photo of the original here.  It's very worn but it can still be seen.

To the right is cast of a tabernacle dating to 1876 from Belgium.  

Here is a cast of a massive pulpit.  The cast was made in 1865 but the original from Pisa dates back to 1302.  

If you would like to see a little video tour of this room, there is a short video at this link.

This room is just crammed full of fascinating things to see.

The Brompton Oratory

 

I've walked past the Brompton Oratory church once or twice before when I've visited London but I had never been inside.  This time I decided to see what it was like on the inside.

It is located on Brompton Road next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  The church is a Neo-classical, late Victorian Roman Catholic Parish.

I slipped inside to have a look around.  As I expected, the church is very grand with lots of marble and gold leaf trim.  It looked as though the church was being prepared for a wedding with two chairs set by the altar and floral trim along the pews.  

The church reminded me of the churches I've visited in Italy.  It had that same grandeur and elegance. 

The London School of Economics

 

On one of my walks around London, I found myself wandering around the campus of the London School of Economics.  There were a lot of modern buildings tucked away behind the older hotels and office buildings.  

"The London School of Economics is a place where people with different perspectives engage in respectful debate about major issues for the world."

We could use more of that type of thinking.

That is where I found this incredible piece of art from Turner Prize winning artist, Mark Wallinger.  It was installed here in 2019 and is called "The World Turned Upside Down".  

It is definitely a statement about the turbulent times we live in.  

Mark Wallinger has created many artworks some of them a bit controversial.  He was the first artist to have a work appear on the 4th Plinth at Trafalgar Square.  You can see that sculpture and more at this site.  

The Worshipful Company of Cutlers

 

When I was in London last October, on a beautiful, sunny Sunday, fellow blogger Steve (Shadows & Light) and I took a walk into The City to do some exploring.  Along the way, we made a discovery of this beautifully adorned building called Cutlers' Hall.  We wandered over to get a closer look and discovered wonderful terracotta frieze running above the windows.

The frieze consists of 33 figures all depicting the 4 main facets of the cutlers' craft.  They are forging, grinding, hafting and finishing.  

The Worshipful Company of Cutlers is one of the most ancient livery companies in the city of London.  It received its first royal charter from Henry V in 1416.

The company traded in knives, swords and other implements with a cutting edge.  Over time it has shifted from weaponry to domestic wares like cutlery, razors and scissors.  

The building today is used for meetings and events and can be rented by anyone.  The website for the company explains more about the history and has photos from inside the hall.  The man who created the wonderful terracotta frieze on the outside of the building was Benjamin Creswick (1853-1946).  He placed them on the newly built hall in 1887.  

I love London, there is history around every corner.  Take a look at that blue plaque on the wall to the left.  It says it's the site of the Royal College of Physicians (1674-1825).  Medicine was vastly different when the college stood on that site.  

Sutton Hoo

 

Have you seen the movie "The Dig" with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan? It's an excellent movie available on Netflix and it's based on a true story about a the discovery of an archaeological site of major historical significance.  It's an excellent movie that really touched me when I saw it several years ago.  

I wanted to take another look at the pieces from that dig that are now on view at the British Museum.  

One of the most important pieces was this helmet which dates to between 620 and 625 AD.  

In addition to the actual helmet above, the museum also had a replica made to show how the helmet would have looked all those years ago.  

It's quite magnificent.  

                                                                         

Also on display were some of the other treasures found at the site called Sutton Hoo in Suffolk England.  The site has been described as a ritualistic burial site of great significance.  Most likely that of a king or ruler of that period.  I'm very pleased that Basil Brown, the man who made this incredible discovery has finally been given the credit that is due to him.

If you haven't seen that movie, I highly recommend it.  

Royal Opera House

 

My destination in Covent Garden was to see the Royal Opera House.  I have a very close friend who has a PhD in Collaborative Piano.  He works very closely with opera performers and he has a vast knowledge of all operas and composers.  He studied in London for awhile and spent a lot of time at the Royal Opera House so I wanted to get a closer look. 

I was a little confused when I saw this modern entrance because it looked nothing like I remembered.  I went inside to find an open atrium with champagne bar, a restaurant and a gift shop.  There were also a number of displays all around the area.

There were several glass cases with costumes from the ballet "Manon" by Georgiadis.  I was curious as to when this performance took place and was surprised to find that it's playing right now.

There was a walkway that led into the main part of the opera house and along the wall was this display of some history of the building.  Each of those little 'windows' in the wall were displays of the inside of the opera house over the years.

Above is one of those little displays.

This bust was mounted on the lobby wall.  It is a tribute to Sir Thomas Beecham who was a conductor associated with both the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic.  

After exploring all the wonderful displays inside the building, I was back outside in front of the building I remembered from past visits.  This is the third opera house that has stood on this site.  The first two were both destroyed by fires.  This building with its wonderful corinthian columns has the look of a classic concert hall and opera house.  The atrium part to the far left was once a flower market and is now part of the hall serving food, drink and lots and lots of historical information.  

Night Visit to Covent Garden

 

One evening when I was in London, I took an after dinner stroll around Covent Garden.  I was surprised at how quiet it was.  On past trips to this part of London it has always been a busy place.  However, the lack of huge crowds made it easier to snap a few photos. 

It was mid-October but it looks like they are in the process of putting up the holiday decorations.

I loved the sign above the entrance at the far end of this photo.  It's for the Punch & Judy pub just on the other side of the doorway.  Apparently it's a tourist pub that has been there for a very long time.

There was a musician playing in front of St. Pauls Church and I stopped to listen along with all these other people.  A short stop for some very good live entertainment was nice treat.  

I snapped this photo along the side of St. Pauls church.  The statue was brilliantly lit but the area was closed off for construction.

I discovered that this statue was originally commissioned by the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.  It sat on display near the cathedral for 3 months and then was moved to his location at St. Pauls Church.

It was created by Bruce Denny and depicts. St. Paul the moment when he is struck by the light on the road to Damascus.  That must explain why such a bright light is shining on this statue.  It's called "The Conversion of St. Paul".

Next week, I'll show you my destination on this trip to Covent Garden.

Land of Spies and Politicians

 

Further along on my walk along the Thames, I came to this building known as Thames House.  It happens to be the headquarters for MI 5, the English security services.  This building is not as eclectic as the MI 6 building that I pictured last week.  This one is much more traditional.

This building is located right at the corner of Millbank and Lambeth where the Lambeth bridge crosses the Thames.  There is a round-about there and in the center is this very full palm tree.  There are not many palm trees to be found in London so this one sort of stands out.

On my previous trip in 2016, I must have been surprised to see this tree sitting in the middle of the road because I snapped this photo of it back then.

After passing the MI 5 building, I've almost arrived at the Houses of Parliament.  The park along the river is called Victoria Tower Gardens that is where I found this famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin.  "The Burghers of Calais" is one of his many famous sculptures.

I've made my way from the Tate Britain museum all the way up to the Houses of Parliament.  Before I move on, I can't resist a photo of Big Ben.  

Walking Along the River

 

Stepping out of the Tate Britain Museum in London, I am facing the River Thames where I decide to walk so I can take in the view.  Walking along Millbank road between Pimlico and Westminster, will take me past an assortment of government buildings all the way to the Houses of Parliament.  While I'm walking, I can admire the growth of all the buildings across the river.

If I look to the left in this photo, I can see the MI6 headquarters tucked into the far left of this photo.  I did a post about that building back in 2017.  See it here.  Next to the MI6 building is St. George Wharf an interesting luxury building with flats and office and retail space.  There were definitely more buildings squeezed into this space since I was last in London.

As I walked along, I was in awe of all the new buildings that have been built along the river.  Like many big cities, London is growing and growing.