Lights at Blackfriars Tube

Art deco horse

The Old Bell

The Cheshire Cheese

Mary Queen of Scots

* see below

Elephant

*   On a gateway in Fleet Street, a dove stands under the motto prudens simplicitas and on top of a knot. Look closer, and it's not string but a twisted serpent forming this unusual perch. Further down the gate is the legend 'Serjeant's Inn'. However, that is in a sense misleading, for the symbols belong to a quite different organisation.

The Inn dates from the 15th century and was home to serjeants-at-law, an order of barristers. By the eighteenth century, its members would join with another inn on Chancery Lane; part of the site at 50 Fleet Street was occupied by the Amicable Society from 1838. This, the world's first mutual life insurance company, later merged with Norwich Union.

The dove and serpent topped the Amicable Society's coat of arms; prudens simplicitas (prudent simplicity) was their motto. The unusual choice of creatures may refer to a biblical quotation in which Jesus exhorted followers to be 'wise as serpents, gentle as doves'. Lost during builidng works, the gates were rediscovered in a scrapyard in 1937 and returned to their original position here in 1970.   FROM http://carolineld.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/prudens-simplicitas-at-serjeants-inn.html
 

Ornamental clock

Winged lions

Taylor Walker - built on tradition

Pegasus

'Old Bank of England' pub

This balcony is heavy

Law Courts

Rampant dragon

The Devereux

Lamps

Early autumn

Leopards

Storyteller

Clematis

Shadows

Athletic figure

Little elephant - Baby Tembo

Penguin

Penguin

LSE

LSE

Ye Old White Horse

The Old Curiosity Shop

On the phone

Artistic notes

Texting

Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn from the garden

Tudor chimneys

Eucomis bicolor

White taxi

The column in this court was erected and dedicated in the year 2000 AD in the centre of what was formerly the cloister courtyard of the monastery of the Knights Templar.   The Templars were founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land.   The column is in gothic style, modelled on the Purbeck marble columns in the church.   The image of the horse with two riders is derived from the seal of the knights who were originally too poor to have a horse each.   The same image can be seen dedicated in the east window of the church.  

The column also marks the spot at which the great fire was extinguished.

Temple Church

Undercroft vaulting

Solarised version

Cloisters

Bonnet reflections

Don't point that at me!

Gargoyles

Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'

Pink taxi

Lamb and Flag

Ornate gateway

The Shard

Kingfisher or Bittern?

Shard looking silvery above, with reflections below

Sunset