Putti on Ludgate House (later known as The Cooks Tours Building), Fleet Street and Ludgate Circus, London EC2. Stone. 1881. Unknown sculptor. The Cooks Tours Building served as the original headquarters for the once-dominant travel company, and the sculptural decoration refers to means of travel. The putti in the left panel stand on or near spoked wagon or railway wheels with wings, perhaps symbolizing railways, while the two on the right stand in and next to a boat. Right panel: Four winged putti crowning the building's dome. [Click on these images and those below for larger pictures.]
Photographs by Robert Freidus. Identification of building” by Lenna Winther-Saxe, a retired part-time faculty member in the Photography Department of Fresno City College. Formatting, perspective correction, and additional commentary by George P. Landow. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Left: Three putti standing and sitting near a globe. The one wriitng holds what looks like a caduceus in his left hand. Middle: two putti, one holding a crook. Right: Two putti, one of whom reads from a scroll while the other points with a right (damaged and largely missing) arm.
Left: Putti over the doorway to 107 surrounding a globe flanked (at the bottom) by a tiny paddlewheeler and a locomotive. Right: Winged putti or baby angels over the doorway to 110/111 surrounding a garlanded globe.
Left: Door and sculptural details around the entrance to 107. Right: The side of the building facing Ludgate Circus.
Bibliography
Pevsner, Nikolaus, revised by Bridget Cherry. London Volume One. London: Penguin Books, 1989.
Created 17 July 2011
Last modified 4 March 2024