Dragons

There are a lot of Dragons in London. I mean Loads. They're everywhere - especially in the city. The particulary fine example above is in Leadenhall market, supporting the archway to the Leadenhall street exit. He has a mate at the other end of the arch, and many smaller friends around the market on column tops.



Markets are generally good places for Dragon hunting - this one above is in Smithfield.

Every main entrance to the city is guarded by a pair of dragons (or sometimes a single large one), who are mostly squat silver beasts, detailed in red, and clutching a sheild bearing a red cross. If this is, as I suspect, a reference to St George, then I don't know how they were convinced to show the banner of a man who is most famous, after all, for killing Dragons!


This little fella is on the south west side of London bridge, and is typical of the breed.

The Embankment Dragons are a bit larger an have an inscription that reads (in part):
"These dragons represent a consituient part of the armorial bearings of the City of London"
(Sorry! no photo yet...)

The pair below grace the roof of the Guild hall in the centre of the city.


The temple bar monument marks the place where Wren's magnificent city gate once stood - which is now between St Paul's Cathedral and Paternoster square, and incidently, has some very fine newly carved stone dragons of its own, like the one below.


But back to the Temple Bar Monument - A large, black and serious looking beast marks the entrace to the city from the top of the plinth, who is so large and fearsome that he does it alone. Compare his size to the Mini in the street below - he really is huge.



The Guildhall has some very fine beasts, and here are some lovely examples from inside the main hall:



Its not just statues of Dragons either. This one has graced the shutters of the Wyvern Bindary in Clerkenwell for ages.