Erection date: 11/7/2007
{On the front of the small stone plinth:}
The barge master & swan marker of The Vintners Company
{Inscribed on an elbow:} WDR
{Inscribed on a shoe:}
V V '07 {initially misread as W '07}
Believed to be the first public sculpture in London commissioned by a Livery Company. We would have expected the inscriptions (WDR and W) to refer to the sculptor but perhaps it's the founder. The Vintners and Dyers Companies share in the ownership of mute swans with the monarch and it is their job to catch and ring them in a ceremony known as 'swan upping' done each June. See A London Inheritance for info including photos. The Swan Marker is in charge of the Vintners’ Swan Uppers for the event, but also wears the uniform of Barge Master, dating back to the time when the Company owned a ceremonial barge on the Thames.
2023: We were pleased to receive this contact: 'The Vintners' Statue in Little Trinity Lane, EC4: Info from Past Master David Robson: "My daughter Emma came across this entry on the London Remembers website. It speculates about the inscriptions. WDR is of course me and was my gift following my year as Master. W is indeed the sculptor's sig Vivien Matlock but is in fact a double VV [as in Viv] not a W! Might it be public spirited to tell LR so they can update their entry? Best wishes David" I can add that the statue shows the late Martin Spencer as Swan Marker and Barge Master, and is a very good likeness. Stephen Freeth, Company Archivist' Thank you David and Stephen - we have updated this page accordingly.
Site: The Vintners (1 memorial)
EC4, Little Trinity Lane
