Relief

Royal Exchange Assurance

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.

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:
Royal Exchange Assurance

Subjects commemorated i

Royal Exchange Assurance

The offices of this company were in the Royal Exchange.  Their insignia depic...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Royal Exchange Assurance

Also at this site i

Cornhill pump

Cornhill pump

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

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Phoenix Fire Office

Phoenix Fire Office

EC3, Cornhill

Around the top are some delightful reliefs in iron of the badges of early fire insurance companies: Sun, Phoenix, London and Royal Exchan...

1 subject commemorated
CI - 5 - Drapers

CI - 5 - Drapers

EC3, Cornhill, 32

The carved doors are at the right of the building, behind the cyclist in our picture.  According to Esoteric London these panels, listed ...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Niblett Pegasus

Niblett Pegasus

EC4, Inner Temple

Niblett Hall was replaced with Littleton Building in 1994.

1 subject commemorated
CI - 8 - Books

CI - 8 - Books

EC3, Cornhill, 32

This carving depicts the two Brontë sisters meeting Thackeray, but rather fails to successfully render his specs. Charlotte did indeed ...

7 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Apollo Victoria - Charlie Chaplin

Apollo Victoria - Charlie Chaplin

SW1, Wilton Road

The Chaplins on this large cinema, built in 1928 by E. Walmsley Lewis, were brought to our attention by Ornamental Passions where you can...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator