Other

Battle of St Vincent frieze

Erection date: 1996

Inscription

Edward Hodges Baily
The Battle of St Vincent frieze, c.1826, marble.

See "2018" below for the event that this relief depicts.

Camden's Public Art List of Major Works in the Borough (warning: large file) says that this was "Commissioned by British Land" - not in 1826 it wasn't! Items of this sort are often architectural features of buildings previously on the site. Prior to building their glass and steel constructions, the developers have to demolish the existing buildings and sometimes "reclaim" particularly interesting features to redisplay on the site.

2018: We thank Patricia Wenz for contacting us with information on the provenance of this item which links it with Marble Arch. Patricia points us to Euston Towner “… it’s a vast white marble frieze depicting the surrender of Spanish admiral Don Francisco Xavier Winthuysen in 1797, one of two high carvings intended to form part of a triumphal arch commissioned by George IV. While the project was never completed, a scaled down version became Marble Arch; other bits were used in the facades of both the National Gallery and Buckingham Palace.”

In 1996 British Land demolished the Euston Road Thames Television building, developed Triton Square and installed a few artworks including this relief. The NG and BP pieces are presumably still on those buildings so we wonder where this St Vincent panel was between c.1830 and 1996. Also, why was this artwork chosen for this location?  There seems to be no connection at all.

Wikipedia has an image showing Marble Arch as originally designed with all the sculptural work in place, but only one side. Just our luck, the St Vincent panel must have been intended as one of the three frieze panels on the other side.

Site: Battle of St Vincent frieze (1 memorial)

NW1, Euston Road, Triton Square

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:
Battle of St Vincent frieze

Subjects commemorated i

Battle of St Vincent

A British fleet, lead by John Jervis, defeated a Spanish fleet almost twice i...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Battle of St Vincent frieze

Created by i

E. H. Baily

From Bristol. Born Edward Hodges Baily. Other work in London: the Pallas Athe...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Crane Court - Royal Society

Crane Court - Royal Society

EC4, Crane Court

The Society's own website says "Meeting nights were indicated by a lamp hung over the Fleet Street entrance to the courtyard." Matt Bro...

1 subject commemorated
Old Well, Tottenham

Old Well, Tottenham

N15, High Street

The high plaque on the building behind reads: "AD 1847, Sunday and Infant School". History in Pictures has a photo of this corner c.1900....

2 subjects commemorated, 4 creators
Robert Seymour

Robert Seymour

WC1, Doughty Street, Dickens Museum

A nearby information board informs: Probably the most prolific illustrator and cartoonist of his era, Seymour was the first artist ever ...

1 subject commemorated
Moira Gemmill

Moira Gemmill

SW1, Millbank, Vauxhall roundabout

Our picture of the post-crash scene comes from the Evening Standard.

2 subjects commemorated
River Tyburn - W1

River Tyburn - W1

W1, Marylebone Lane, 108

Occupied by a restaurant, One08, who, disappointingly, don't make a feature of the stained glass window on their website.  We'd hoped to ...

2 subjects commemorated, 5 creators