Memorial day - 7

In yesterday's blog I described Holborn Viaduct, London; as viewed from what was the “Fleet River valley”. If you climb up the stairs you come to the level of the road over the viaduct, to the west the road goes to Holborn Circus, to the east the City of London.

Bronze Flying Lions stand on guard at each corner of the viaduct. They were sculptured by Farmer & Brindley and manufactured at Elkington & Co foundry. Elkingtons was set up by two cousins, George Richards Elkington (1801 - 1865) and Henry Elkington (1810 - 1852). But the main features are the four larger than life size bronze figures, two on the north and two on the south balustrades.



Farmer & Brindley were responsible for the two figures on the north side. At the west end stands “Fine Art” on the east “Science”.



The “Science” figure is very interesting, most people today would be puzzled by the “pair of balls” held in her hand. But at the time the viaduct was built in the 1860s they were the symbols of the age. She is holding the governor which controlled the speed of early steam engines.


The “Fine Art” figure holds in her hand a sheet of drawing paper and pen. Standing on a columb stands the bust of Athena to represent sculpture.





On the south side of the road there are two bronze figures sculptured by Henry Bursill. On the west end “Commerce” and on the east “Agriculture”.



“Commerce” holds money in her hand and has the key to the City of London at her feet.






“Agriculture” holds a scythe in her right hand and a sheaf of corn in her right.



The viaduct is a true jewel and monument to the Victorian age.





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Holborn Viaduct

Standing at Ludgate Circus, London, look east up Ludgate Hill you should have had a clear view of St Paul’s Cathedral, but through inept city planning the view is blocked by a conglomeration of office blocks. Look south down New Bridge Street you see Blackfriars Bridge. West you look up Fleet Street, formerly the “Street of Shame”, (I’ll have to write a blog about this famous thoroughfare). Look north and you see Farrington Street, standing at this point before 1765 and you would have seen the Fleet River flowing down the valley towards the Thames, (on quiet nights, place your ear to the ground and you will hear the river flowing through a subterranean channel). Look along Farrington Street and you will see Holborn Viaduct spanning the Fleet valley.

The Viaduct designed by the City of London Surveyor William Heywood was built between 1863 and 1869 and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1896.

It was built to improve access from the city of London to the west. Before its construction horse drawn vehicles travelling west from the City had to climb the steep-sided Holborn Hill.

In the 1860’s they didn’t just build bridges, it was a statement - Holborn Viaduct epitomises the grandeur of the age, the British Empire was at its zenith, Victoria was the Queen Empress ruling over Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most of Africa, and the Jewel of the Empire the Indian sub-continent.

Constructed from cast iron beams resting on granite columns the details incorporated is magnificent, as you can see from the slide show (if it doesn’t start automatically click the “start tab”).

Tomorrow in Memorial Day blog, I will describe and show the sculptures adorning the viaduct.

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