TRAFALGAR SQUARE
The paws of the four lions were modelled on a domestic cat after the lion’s corpse used by designer Sir Edwin Landseer began to decompose. Their backs are also wrong as they are convex. They should be concave as illustrated in this picture I took earlier (2009, Serengeti). But it makes it easier for kids to climb on them. This nice oil painting of Sir Edwin at work is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, but not on display at the time of writing .....
After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Parliament ordered the destruction of his statue. It was given to brazier John Rivett who was responsible for destroying it. Rivett made a tidy profit selling commemorative cutlery which he claimed was made from the melted down statue.
But when Charles II acceded to the throne
it was revealed the statue had been hidden in Rivett’s garden all the time.
The intention was to have a similar
equestrian statue for William IV,
George IV’s younger brother and successor. But when William died there were
insufficient funds for the statue although the ‘fourth plinth’ had already been
built. For over 150 years the fate of the plinth was debated. From 1998 it has
displayed contemporary sculptures, the current one being Heather Phillipson’s
The End ….
There have been many
suggestions for the permanent occupant of the plinth including Nelson Mandela,
Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. It seemed likely it was being held for
the Queen when she died. Meanwhile ….
These brass plates have been set in Trafalgar Square since 1876 for people to come and check the accuracy of their Imperial Measurement devices ….
My own height is 6ft which is much neater
than 1.83 metres. TV screens (diagonally) are still in inches, as are human
anatomical dimensions (I won’t go into detail).
In the US social distancing is six feet, which at 1.83 metres is less
than our recommended two metres (soon to be 3 metres?). Even if we went fully
metric things would still be ‘miles apart’, there would be ‘acres of space’ and
we’d still have to mind our Ps and Qs (pints and quarts?). And I fancy cricket
pitches will always be a chain (22 yards) and flat horse races run over
furlongs. Are horses still measured in hands? I started to research how some of
these unfathomable (one fathom = 1.8288m)
measurements came about. But there’s tons of conflicting views. (One ton
is 1,016kg in the UK but only
907.18474 kg in North America). However, it is generally accepted that the
mile is derived from the Latin mille for a thousand Roman paces. A Roman pace
is two steps (1.48m appx). Give me an inch and I’ll take a mile and this will
become quite boring. So I’ll stop now before I go the whole nine yards. Time
for a pint methinks.
Places in Trafalgar Square which were shut when I took the pix ….
(L to R)
Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board.
St Martin-in-the-Fields: The 'Church of the Ever Open Door’ held online services during covid. It hosts regular classical concerts; some are free. King Charles was baptised here. There’s also a nice spacious cafeteria in the crypt .....
National Gallery: Vast and fine collection
of European Art. Entry is free so you don’t need to do it all before heading
for The National Dining Rooms for lunch - which I would recommend rather than
their busy self-service café.
I’m told there’s a great view of Nelson from the 8th floor bar of the National Portrait Gallery which is behind the National Gallery. It's also free but closed for refurbishment until June 22, 2023.
Friday, November 12, 2021
No matter how many times I roam aimlessly
round the National Gallery this Philistine is still gobsmacked by the fact he
can look in any direction and see a familiar masterpiece …. wonderful.
Steve Hinchliffe, one of my Yorkshire stringers, has pointed out The
Saltaire Lions were originally intended for Trafalgar Square. Sculptor Thomas
Milnes was commissioned to produce the four lions out of sandstone to sit
around the base of Nelson’s Column. But it was decided they were not grandiose
enough. Landseer was handed the contract for the current ones, which are larger
and made of bronze.
Milnes’ lions were acquired by mill owner Sir Titus Salt to adorn his
Victorian village of Saltaire beside the River Aire in Yorkshire (hence Salt –
Aire). I took the following photos on a visit in 2007, not knowing the
Trafalgar Square connection. Little will have changed since then as Saltaire is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site and every building is listed.
Saltaire was built in 1851 by Salt to house his workers alongside his huge new textile mill. The village was, and still is, mostly neat back-to-back terraces with an array of social amenities including a school and hospital - all a far cry from the slums the workers had come from. But working conditions in the mill itself were dire. Salt was deeply religious and forbade 'beershops' in Saltaire, although the story he was teetotal is probably untrue. But now the village has it’s own brewery and boasts several pubs including Fanny’s Alehouse and Don’t Tell Titus.
The mill itself closed in 1986 and today houses a mixture of commercial, residential and leisure facilities. This includes a gallery given over to the works of David Hockney who was born in nearby Bradford. Unsurprisingly Soltaire is frequently used as a film and TV location, e.g. Peaky Blinders.
Steve and Sorrel Hinchliffe are now residents of Whitby. But they used to live in Soltaire, "in one of the posh houses", Steve tells me; after all, he is The Prince of Pudsey.
Steve also sent me particulars of an eight-bedroom, seven-bathroom house in Trafalgar Square for only £140k - that’s Trafalgar Square, Scarborough. I’m tempted to put in an offer, especially as it overlooks the cricket ground, even if that might mean having to put up with the odd broken window.
More on Saltaire from Tony Goodson .…
Mick,
I am moved to fire off an instant reply to your excellent Saltaire piece. Having been born in sunny Bradford, and who has now gone down-market to grubby Harrogate, the history lesson brought back good vibes. Saltaire was always a “grand day out” for us growing up and an easy way for my folks to keep us kids occupied for hours.
The link here gives the stories behind the names - often tragic as was typical in Victorian Britain: https://saltairevillage.info/saltaire_history_0013_Saltaire_street_names_0001.html
Saltaire’s streets, cafes, shops and park are a treat but the gem is Hockney’s gallery. The bloke is a genius.
One story .... some friends years ago told me that when they were growing up in Bradford, Hockney’s family lived above them in a flat. He was just a kid at the time and when the friends came to move, young Hockney gave them one of his sketches, signed of course. They lost it.
Reminds me of that misplaced lottery ticket from 2006....
We still go to Saltaire...or we will when you know what goes you know where.
Keep up the good work...
TG
Hi Mick,
Another great newsletter. Following
on from the Saltaire lions, do you know the background to the Landseer ones?
The decision to give Landseer the
commission after Milne’s was controversial as although he was renowned for his
animal paintings, he was not a sculptor. He was a perfectionist and a
great student of animal form, so when given the commission he spent a lot of
time at London Zoo watching the lions and then asked for a dead lion to be sent
to his studio as a model. This delayed
the project as they had to wait for one to die. His detailed work meant
that the lion decomposed before he had finished and had to be thrown away.
It’s said that he used the paws of his cat as a model for the feet which
is why they are not quite right.
The cost escalated because the finished
version was cast in bronze by Baron Carlo Marochetti who was a famed sculptor
(favourite of Queen Victoria and commissioned to do the Prince Albert statue
for Albert Memorial, but died before it was ready to sculpt). The two
had a fractious relationship which along with Landseer’s ill health further
delayed the project.
Fantastic news about your vaccine. An
enterprising cabbie in Ealing is advertising the JabCab, offering trips to and
from vaccine centres.
Best wishes,
Tricia
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