Other

Crystal Crown

Erection date: 5/6/1977

Inscription

{On an information board below, a Silver Jubilee crown logo with this below:}
The Silver Jubilee Crystal Crown was sculpted on this site by Arthur Fleischmann KCSG, FRBS, MD, who pioneered carving in Perspex. The block measures 10' 9" by 8" thick and weighs two tons. It is the largest solid block of Acrylic in the world. It was originally made in 1968 for Stanley Kubrick's film "2001 - A Space Odyssey", but was rejected by the director in favour of the now famous black basalt monolith.

Her Majesty the Queen unveiled the sculpture on June 5th 1977.

{St Katharine Docks, twice, around the logo for the company}.

The information states that the sculpting was done "on this site", but the Coronarium was roofless.  The photos at Fine Art Facts show the already-carved block being transported, presumably from wherever it was carved. But see below...

2017: Via Facebook Andrew Cunningham has directed us to an interview with Fleischmann's wife, Joy, who describes how they were "sheltered under polythene sheet with Calor gas and a rotisserie to cook on and we were literally camping out there from February onwards" and "it had to be moved a short distance".

Site: Crystal Crown (2 memorials)

E1, St Katharine's Dock, Thistle Hotel

Stanley Plastics made the plain acrylic block in the 60's for Kubrick but it was not used in the film. When MGM closed the Borehamwood film studios in 1970 Fleischmann acquired the block and kept it until St Katharine Docks commissioned him to provide a Silver Jubilee memorial. He carved the crown and the Coronarium Chapel was built to house it. The Crystal Crown was unveiled and displayed in the roofless Coronarium Chapel until 2000 when it was evicted in favour of a branch of Starbucks. That's when the information board was put up.

IanVisits' post alerted us to this unusual art work. The story is told at Fine Art Facts.

Another memorial which could be here but isn't (well, we didn't see it) is one to the "first ever (civilian) mobile phone call made in the UK. The call was made {to Vodafone offices in Newbury} from London’s St Katharine Docks on 1 January 1985, via the Vodafone network, by comedian Ernest Wise" ... or was it?  We learnt about this event, which took place in front of the Dickens Inn, at the ever-fruitful Londonist. Apparently the son of Vodaphone's chairman had already phoned his dad in Surrey from a New Year's Eve gathering in Parliament Square, a few hours before Ernie made his well-publicised call.

2016: The Sun reports that a plaque is going to be erected to commemorate that phone call - the plaque will be in Newbury.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Crystal Crown

Subjects commemorated i

Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.  This wa...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Crystal Crown

Created by i

St Katharine Docks

SKDocks gives a brief introduction to the history of the area. A London Inher...

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Queen Elizabeth II

Born 17 Bruton Street, to the Duke and Duchess of York. When she was 10 her f...

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Arthur Fleischmann

Sculptor.  Born Bratislava which was in Hungary at the time.  Studied medicin...

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Stanley Kubrick

Film director who settled in London and made many of his films here. Born New...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Crystal Crown

Also at this site i

Coronarium

Coronarium

This inscription is on a large slate stone positioned in the ground at the en...

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Nearby Memorials

Minnie Lansbury Clock

Minnie Lansbury Clock

E3, Bow Road, 67, Electric House

This building was erected in the 1930s. Actor Angela Lansbury contributed to the 2008 restoration of the clock.

1 subject commemorated
Orange Street Chapel - arch

Orange Street Chapel - arch

WC2, Orange Street

The dates given are the "start" dates of the two churches which have been erected on this site.

1 subject commemorated
Silver Jubilee bench

Silver Jubilee bench

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We don't normally collect benches but large, unusual plaques like this one are irresistible.

2 subjects commemorated
Ciuffo

Ciuffo

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Our best guess is that the object is a bird bath, which if Ciuffo was a dog, is strange.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
King Edward III manor house

King Edward III manor house

SE16, Bermondsey Wall East

Our 'inscription' comes from the modern information panel just outside our photo to the right, as does the artist's impression of the bui...

2 subjects commemorated, 3 creators