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

Charles Dickens relief

Charles Dickens relief

NW1, Marylebone Road, Ferguson House, 15

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
St Antholin Church, demolished

St Antholin Church, demolished

EC4, Queen Victoria Street

Over recent years (2011) this church has acquired at least 3 modern plaques whose purpose is, we think, mainly to entice visitors inside ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Sam House

Sam House

W1, Wardour Street, The Intrepid Fox

1784 is the date of the election when the publican supported Fox's campaign.

2 subjects commemorated
Cardinal Griffin School crest

Cardinal Griffin School crest

E14, Canton Street, Church Green

Presumably Da Mihi Animas was the school moto, Latin for 'Give me souls'.  Love the cardinal's hat at the top.

1 subject commemorated
George Ryan at Nelson's Column

George Ryan at Nelson's Column

WC2, Trafalgar Square

This relief is "The Death of Nelson" by J. E. Carew, on the front (south) face of the base of Nelson's Column. It depicts a scene at the ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator