Relief

Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

These doors are in the centre of the river frontage of the building.

Mapping of sculpture alerted us to this memorial: "The ground floor entrance is Fagan's most visible contribution and comprises massive bronze doors (modeled on the {east doors of the} baptistery, Florence) surrounded by architectural carvings on a maritime theme cut in granite. There are six relief panels on each door depicting advances in technology. The panels are paired with stone age technologies represented on the left contrasted with modern, industrial scenes on the right. The latter culminates (bottom right) with a scene showing the chemist, Michael Faraday lecturing to the Royal Institution."

The reliefs bear some examination though the high ones are difficult to see. In the images on the right depicting technology, only one woman is shown (beside a printing press). The stone age images show lots of bare-breasted women, either being pushed around by the men or sitting around doing nothing. In the 1920s-30s neither of these points would have been worthy of note.

Site: Imperial Chemical House - 9 portrait keystones (10 memorials)

SW1, Millbank, 9, Imperial Chemical House

For an idea of what this area used to be like see this 1894ish map. It was all redeveloped following the 1928 flood. This block was designed by Sir Frank Baines and built in 1929-31 as HQ for Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI). Aka 'Nobel House' it is now, 2016, occupied by Ofgem, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. The frontage boasts 9 portrait keystones of chemists and ICI directors: Cavendish is on the Horseferry Road frontage, Mendeleeff on the junction corner, the other 7 are on the river side, left to right: Lavoisier, McGowan, Nobel, Alfred Mond (ICI), Ludwig Mond, Priestley, Liebig. Each 5th floor keystone decorates an integrated window arrangement with the identifying name on the 4th floor balcony. In his book on London statues Osbert Sitwell reports a journalist  writing that these "masks" are "four times life-size" but he also writes that they are "seven storeys above the ground" so we have to allow for some exaggeration.

On the 5th floor are four magnificent statues by Charles Sergeant Jagger. See A London Inheritance for photos. As well as these keystones Fagan did most of the other sculpture on the building, including the massive bronze entrance doors.

2017: We watched the 1947 film "Mine Own Executioner" which uses a few London locations. We recognised that of the last scene - a suicide at the top of a building - and thought it might be this one. But it's actually the MI5 building immediately to the south of Lambeth Bridge, Thames House, which was built by ICI at the same time as IC House and not used by MI5 until 1994.

There are two more portrait keystones on Nobel House, behind this building.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

Subjects commemorated i

Royal Institution (of Great Britain)

A group of men started meeting at Gresham College and formed a society to pro...

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Michael Faraday

Experimental physicist, especially electro-magnetics (remember Faraday's Law?...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

Created by i

William Bateman Fagan

Born Bermondsey. Andrew Behan's researches have found that when he was baptis...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Hungarian uprising

Hungarian uprising

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In memory of the victims of the Hungarian uprising of 1956.

1 subject commemorated
Animals War Memorial Dispensary - bronze frieze

Animals War Memorial Dispensary - bronze frieze

NW6, Cambridge Avenue, 10

This bronze frieze shows a winged Victory holding wreaths and flanked by camels, mules, bullocks, horses, elephants, dogs and pigeons, al...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Sir Leonard Hutton - diagram

Sir Leonard Hutton - diagram

SE11, Kennington Oval, John Edrich Gate

We assume that if one added all the digits together the total would be 364 runs (the record innings that Hutton set in 1938), but we're n...

1 subject commemorated
Charles Dickens relief

Charles Dickens relief

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The characters represented in the mural are, left to right, top line: Scrooge, (the head with the door knocker represents Marley's ghost)...

10 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Tull, Samuel, & Co - Fenchurch Street

Tull, Samuel, & Co - Fenchurch Street

EC3, Fenchurch Street, 153

The building was designed by Osborn & Russel and erected in 1880.From Public Monument and Sculpture Association we learn: Small City ...

1 subject commemorated

Previously viewed

London Bridge alcoves in Victoria Park - Bow plaque

London Bridge alcoves in Victoria Park - Bow plaque

E9, Victoria Park

There are two alcoves, placed some distance apart so we have only photoed one. Both of them have both memorials.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator