Art and sculpture

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Lost Gardens of London at the Garden Museum

London On The Ground

Oct 275 min read

Lost Gardens of London at the Garden Museum

Excellent new exhibition of vanished parks, squares and gardens at the museum in Lambeth. Curated by landscape architect and historian Dr...

702 views1 comment

The Monument, the relief and its meaning

London On The Ground

Oct 207 min read

The Monument, the relief and its meaning

The sculpture on the Monument to the Great Fire of London is rich with symbolism . It illustrates the catastrophe that destroyed...

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Albert Memorial: a rare look at the undercroft

London On The Ground

Sep 296 min read

Albert Memorial: a rare look at the undercroft

Simple brick arches support one of Victorian London's most elaborate monuments. I recently joined the first ever public tour of the...

134 views2 comments

London On The Ground

Aug 267 min read

Eltham Palace: Medieval meets Art Deco

From ruined royal residence to magnificent modern mansion. A 15th century gothic great hall, a stunning 20th century Art Deco...

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Serenity in the City: Karin Jonzen's sculptures

London On The Ground

Jul 285 min read

Serenity in the City: Karin Jonzen's sculptures

Four works by the 20th century sculptor in the City of London. One of the pleasures of walking around the Square Mile is the wide variety...

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Walking in Geoffrey Fletcher's London: Islington and the City

London On The Ground

Jun 33 min read

Walking in Geoffrey Fletcher's London: Islington and the City

See some of the London that the artist and writer feared was disappearing in the 1960s and 1970s. Best known for his 1962 book The London...

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Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's

London On The Ground

May 273 min read

Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's

Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's. The carving, in a hidden City of London alleyway, represents the Four Elements.

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Art on a plate: Temple Bar's hidden treasures

London On The Ground

May 124 min read

Art on a plate: Temple Bar's hidden treasures

Unique, architect-designed plates recognise support for the Architects Benevolent Society. City of London livery companies are known for...

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'Work' by Ford Madox Brown, a painting to rival a Dickens novel

London On The Ground

Apr 137 min read

'Work' by Ford Madox Brown, a painting to rival a Dickens novel

The artist tackles Victorian social attitudes, the class divide and urbanisation in this Hampstead scene. On a visit to Manchester last...

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Poster art and design on the London Underground

London On The Ground

Apr 85 min read

Poster art and design on the London Underground

A personal selection from the London Transport Museum. The London Transport Museum's Global Poster Gallery, which only opened in October...

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The Royal Exchange frieze: a freeze frame of history

London On The Ground

Feb 246 min read

The Royal Exchange frieze: a freeze frame of history

Sculptures on the Victorian building tell of the City of London's past It is easy to miss the sculpted details on the the Royal Exchange,...

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Frederic Leighton's art at Leighton House

London On The Ground

Jan 144 min read

Frederic Leighton's art at Leighton House

An excellent collection of 19th century paintings and sculpture by Frederic Leighton. The painter, draughtsman and sculptor was one of...

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Angel Wings sculpture: not just for Christmas

London On The Ground

Nov 24, 20233 min read

Angel Wings sculpture: not just for Christmas

Angel Wings is a year-round 'Christmas decoration' on an epic scale, a play on the Angel Islington's name and link to the Nativity story.

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The Hitchcock mosaics of Leytonstone station

London On The Ground

Nov 11, 20232 min read

The Hitchcock mosaics of Leytonstone station

Vibrant tiled images celebrate the life and work of film director Alfred Hitchcock. The passageway into and out of the Central line...

136 views2 comments

Shakespeare in Shoreditch: a statue and The Stage

London On The Ground

Nov 5, 20237 min read

Shakespeare in Shoreditch: a statue and The Stage

A statue and visitor centre for The Theatre and The Curtain playhouse sites. The Theatre and The Curtain, both in Shoreditch, were...

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A quartet of carved clergy: the Bishops' Tree at Fulham Palace

London On The Ground

Sep 15, 20233 min read

A quartet of carved clergy: the Bishops' Tree at Fulham Palace

Four wooden Bishops await visitors to the gardens of Fulham Palace. Environmental sculptor Andrew Frost carved them from a dead cedar tree

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Islington's New River mosaic: little known, but of high artistic quality

London On The Ground

Aug 25, 20233 min read

Islington's New River mosaic: little known, but of high artistic quality

An Islington school has a Grade II listed 1964 public artwork by William Mitchell. Outside the City of London Academy Islington, a...

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Sanctuary, Naomi Blake's sculpture for victims of oppression

London On The Ground

Jun 10, 20234 min read

Sanctuary, Naomi Blake's sculpture for victims of oppression

A moving sculpted art work sits alone outside St Botolph Aldgate in the City of London. Walks and tours available for booking The London...

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Emily Young's serene stone angels near St Paul's need to be seen

London On The Ground

Apr 7, 20235 min read

Emily Young's serene stone angels near St Paul's need to be seen

See the angel heads by Britain's "greatest living stone sculptor" on public display next to St Paul's. Five angel heads by Emily Young,...

160 views2 comments

Tim Crawley's City of London stone sculptures

London On The Ground

Mar 10, 20234 min read

Tim Crawley's City of London stone sculptures

The City of London boasts fine examples of work by Tim Crawley, one of the UK's foremost sculptors of stone. Tim Crawley describes...

186 views0 comments

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wandering London's wonders since 2021

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wandering London's wonders

Subscribe Form To receive details of walks that are available for booking and new posts from the London blog

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To receive details of walks that are available for booking and new posts from the London blog