Relief

Phoenix Fire Office

Site: Cornhill pump (5 memorials)

EC3, Cornhill

Around the top are some delightful reliefs in iron of the badges of early fire insurance companies: Sun, Phoenix, London and Royal Exchange. These are all crudely coloured with red, gold, blue.  See 'Also at this site'.

This water pump, designed by architect Nathaniel Wright, is Grade II listed, where it is described “Obelisk of cast iron with canted corners, slight decoration and long inscriptions. Granite trough probably of later date.” As you can see from our photos the pump is (2011) in a dreadful state of repair. Let's hope someone notices soon and perhaps the modern day equivalents of its original erectors will fund its restoration.

2015: prompted by Jon Pettigrew on Facebook we must report that the pump was indeed restored not long after we photographed it.  (Keeping London Remembers up-to-date could become a full-time job.)  But the splendid A London Inheritance has photographed it for us, and provided some earlier photos and history.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Phoenix Fire Office

Subjects commemorated i

Phoenix Fire Office

Bryan Mawer says "In 1782, the Phoenix Fire Office was established by sugar r...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Phoenix Fire Office

Also at this site i

Cornhill pump

Cornhill pump

We understand "the neighbouring fire officers" to mean the four fire assuranc...

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Nearby Memorials

Novello's printing works - printing

Novello's printing works - printing

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These reliefs are high up, at either end of the building. Not really memorials so normally we would not have collected these lovely cheru...

1 subject commemorated
Saville Theatre - Saint Joan

Saville Theatre - Saint Joan

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George Bernard Shaw wrote his play Saint Joan with Thorndike in mind, and this image is very similar to photos of her in the role.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Lloyds of London 1958 building

Lloyds of London 1958 building

EC3, Gracechurch Street

Phillip Ward-Jackson in his encyclopaedic "Public Sculpture in the City of London" identifies these reliefs as representing the four elem...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Tyburn Convent - relief

Tyburn Convent - relief

W2, Bayswater Road

There is a better picture at Flickr - we're not proud. Note the Tyburn tree at the left and the convent roof at the right. Seems likely...

2 subjects commemorated
St John's Primary School - rebuilt

St John's Primary School - rebuilt

N5, Conewood Street, St John's Highbury Vale

Our research into the history of the school convinces us that the blank section of ribbon must have read "Christ Church" which was the sc...

1 subject commemorated