Relief

Sun Fire Office

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:
Sun Fire Office

Subjects commemorated i

Sun Fire Office

Founded in London, now the oldest existing insurance company in the world.

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Sun Fire Office

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

Festival of Britain - Arts

Festival of Britain - Arts

W1, Oxford Street, 213

The relief shows the Royal Festival Hall, surrounded by a violin, saxophone, drums, musical score, a transmitting tower and a crown.

1 subject commemorated
Lloyds of London 1958 building

Lloyds of London 1958 building

EC3, Gracechurch Street

Phillip Ward-Jackson in his encyclopaedic "Public Sculpture in the City of London" identifies these reliefs as representing the four elem...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
CI - 1 -  Christianity

CI - 1 - Christianity

EC3, Cornhill, 32

The carved doors are at the right of the building, behind the cyclist in our picture.  According to Esoteric London these panels, listed ...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Chiswell Archer

Chiswell Archer

EC1, Chiswell Street, 14-20, Longbow House

In 1315 a large area known as Bunhill Fields was leased to the City of London, probably to be used, amongst other things, for archery pra...

1 subject commemorated
PP - Watts relief

PP - Watts relief

EC1, Edward Street

This looks as if it's carved wood but Bonhams says it's probably painted ceramic.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators