Wandering on the south side of the River Thames, where many of the old buildings have been repurposed as dwellings and businesses, you still come across new developments.
While many of these newer buildings still fit in with the aesthetic of the area, some do not. The latter can not be said of 'The Circle', on Queen Elizabeth Street. These newer buildings have been designed so as to not appear out of place, while still offering something new.
However, what caught my eye, as I strolled along the street, was this bronze statue of a Dray horse, named 'Jacob', stood in the centre of the road on a plinth.
When 'The Circle' was being developed the architects and designers wished to pay homage to the history of the area, hence the statue.
As stated on the affixed plaque, Dray horses, from the nearby Courage Brewery, were stabled here from the early nineteenth century.
It is a wonderful statue that has caught the power of these mighty animals, that trekked back and forth through London, delivering beer.
The inscription on the plaque states:
"Jacob
The Circle Dray Horse
The famous Courage dray horses were stabled
on this site from the early nineteenth
century and delivered beer around London
from the brewery on Horselydown Lane
by Tower Bridge.
In the sixteenth century the area became
known as Horselydown, which derives from
'Horse-lie-down', a description of working
horses resting before crossing London Bridge
into the City of London.
Jacob was commissioned by
Jacobs Island Company and Farlane Properties
as the centrepiece of The Circle
to commemorate the history of the site.
He was flown over London by helicopter
into Queen Elizabeth Street to launch
The Circle in 1987."
As a little footnote, I am not entirely sure that this is the actual derivation of Horselydown.
