Other

maypole riot

Inscription

Hereabouts until the 16th Century a famous maypole used to be put up on feast days at the corner of St. Mary Axe. The reproduction will be found on Shaft's Stairs.

The only reference we can find to "Shaft's Stairs" concerns a 1970 Civic Trust Award "given to a development bounded by Leadenhall Street, St. Mary Axe, Undershaft and Shaft Stairs comprising the Commercial Union and P&O Buildings, the Podium and Piazza". Most of that has been demolished for the erection of the Cheesegrater so we imagine Shaft's Stairs no longer exist. We found a photo of the reproduction but the site given is currently (2016) a building site, so.... Lost - one maypole shaft - anyone seen it?

2019: Found: one maypole.

Site: maypole riot (1 memorial)

EC3, St Mary Axe

Not a promising site for a memorial but there it is, attached to the right-hand side of the concrete cube, below "Aviva". This memorial explains the strange name of the nearby street and church - Undershaft.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
maypole riot

Subjects commemorated i

Maypole - St Mary Axe/Leadenhall

The maypole, comparable in height to that of the adjacent tower of St Andrew ...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

horse block

horse block

SW1, Waterloo Place

. . . and what the Duke wants the Duke gets. Though these mounting aids were probably intended for use by all the gentlemen visiting the...

1 subject commemorated
William Cadman

William Cadman

NW1, Marylebone Road, Holy Trinity Church

This church was built in 1827 by the architect Sir John Soane. Since 1956 it has been the HQ of SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Kno...

1 subject commemorated
Friends’ Meeting House - Hammersmith

Friends’ Meeting House - Hammersmith

W6, Furnivall Gardens

Looks like something used to be mounted on the granite top of this pillar, but what? This memorial was probably erected in 1951 when the ...

1 subject commemorated
Richard Everitt - bench

Richard Everitt - bench

NW1, Purchese Street, Purchese Street Open Space

This open space was reduced in size in 2020-22 to allow the construction of a building on the Purchese Street/Brill Place corner.  The re...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Virtues - Pursuit

Virtues - Pursuit

WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery - Staircase Hall - North Vestibule

Fred Hoyle became known for his original, even controversial, approach to his topic. Here, to observe the glittering, swirling, celestial...

1 subject commemorated