Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
Architectural sculpture, Passmore Edwards Library, Borough Rd.
Region ID | CL | |
Work ID | 1108 | |
Manual Reference | CLSK/31-32 | |
Title | Architectural sculpture, Passmore Edwards Library, Borough Rd. | |
Architect | Blomfield, Arthur William | |
Architect | Phipps, C.J. | |
Date of design | 1897-98 | |
Year of unveiling | ||
Unveiling details | ||
Road | Botough Rd. | |
Precise Location | Passmore Edwards Library (originally; later the Borough Road Library), No. 12 Borough Road (now the South Bank University Day Nursery), Entrance | |
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | SE1 | |
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | II | |
Duty of Care | ||
Commissioned by | ||
Notes | ||
The entrance bay consists of a shaped gable containing a relief of St George killing the dragon, signifying that the library was built for the parish of St George the Martyr, Southwark. The saint is represented as an armour-clad knight on a rearing horse, plunging his spear into the dragon’s mouth. This relief is flanked by armorial shields, that on the left bearing the Cross of St George and that on the right the Badge of the Vestry of St George the Martyr, Southwark [**or, according to Humphrey, ‘the badge of the Bridge House Estates of the City of London, [reflecting] the fact that much of the land in this vicinity has long been owned by that trust.’]. Below the St George relief is a tall round-arched biforate window, between the window sill of which and the round-arched main entrance below is an ornamental sign, which comprises the library’s name on an escutcheon hung within the branches of the Tree of Knowledge. **sketch in MacDonald book shows what looks like four figures holding the name sign** | ||
The cost of building the library was met by Passmore Edwards. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | ||
Condition | Good | |
At risk | No known risk | |
Inscriptions | In raised letters: - Beneath the St George relief: PARISH OF ST GEORGE / THE MARTYR . SOUTHWARK - On the ornamental sign, within an escutcheon hung upon the branches of a tree: PASSMORE EDWARDS / PUBLIC LIBRARY [and below the escutcheon, either side of the tree trunk:] 18 [and] 98 | |
Signatures | ||
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
St. George Killing the Dragon | Terracotta Relief | |
Ornamental Sign | Terracotta Relief | |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character: nothing recorded Structural Condition: nothing recorded Vandalism: nothing recorded