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

Sealing of the Magna Carta - Parliament Square

Sealing of the Magna Carta - Parliament Square

SW1, Little George Street, Supreme Court

At one time this was the site of nearby Westminster Abbey's Sanctuary Tower and Belfry. This building was designed by James S. Gibson an...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Crest - National Bank Ltd

Crest - National Bank Ltd

W8, Notting Hill Gate, 78

Probably erected with the building in the 1960s.

1 subject commemorated
St John's Primary School - rebuilt

St John's Primary School - rebuilt

N5, Conewood Street, St John's Highbury Vale

Our research into the history of the school convinces us that the blank section of ribbon must have read "Christ Church" which was the sc...

1 subject commemorated
Mother and Children Playing

Mother and Children Playing

SW8, Fentiman Road, South Lambeth Estate

Both sculptures face north-west. In our photo, between the two buildings you can see the Footballers on the far block, Wareham House. The...

4 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Bethnal Green Housing Association - Lennox House

Bethnal Green Housing Association - Lennox House

E9, Cresset Street

Another very similar plaque is at the nearby Brent House Salvation Army maternity home.

1 subject commemorated

Previously viewed

Druid Street arch WW2 bomb

Druid Street arch WW2 bomb

Railway arches were used as air raid shelters in WW2, as they were relatively secure. In the case of Druid Street however, they couldn't survive a direct hit. Depending on source, the number of dea...

Event, Tragedy

2 memorials
Leverton arch

Leverton arch

Designed in 1800 by Leverton, one of the churchwardens at the time. Originally at the northern entrance on St Giles High Street. Moved in 1865 to its present location on Flitcroft Street.

Building, Architecture, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson

Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson

Scholar and Humanist. Born at Langham Chambers, near Oxford Circus. Although qualified as a doctor, he decided to follow an academic career. He lectured at Cambridge and in 1896 published 'The Gree...

Person, Medicine, Philosophy

1 memorial