25th April 2019 by Frances
James Woodford
Further Footsteps…
James Woodford, the Four Elements, 1952 (Water, detail)
James Woodford ‘The Four Elements’ 1952, stone reliefs. The Scalpel, 52 Lime Street, Ec3.
Woodford’s dynamic reliefs representing Fire, Water, Earth and Air, have been repositioned at ground level on the rear facade of this new building. Originally part of the Old Lloyd’s building on Billiter Street, the reliefs were high up, barely visible from street level, their preservation and repositioning allows a closeup view of each small carved mark of each colossal panel. The carved reliefs reference the insurance businesses, combining modern imagery with traditional and mythological symbols – farmer and farm animals, fireman and a phoenix, aeroplane and birds. In the Water panel, a female figure rings the Lutine Bell, which is rung in Lloyds of London when a ship goes down.
‘The Four Elements’ are sited at the back of the building, and can be found at start of the Emerald Walk.
