The Seven Seas of Wheeler

I mentioned Edward Maufe, the architect, the other day when talking about Heal's. Another of his London works is the Mercantile Marine Memorial for the 1939-45 War at Trinity Square Gardens, Tower Hill. This is often referred to as the Merchant Navy Memorial.

This sunken garden was completed between 1950 and 1955. A number of sculptures were commissioned by Maufe from Charles Wheeler, (see labels below for more Wheeler posts).

At one side of the entrance to the Memorial stands Wheeler's "Officer of the Mercantile Marine" and in the garden itself are seven allegorical reliefs of "The Seven Seas", each of these stands well over six feet high. You can see a couple on either side of the bench in the photo above.

Bit by bit I will publish photos of every Charles Wheeler I can find in London.

One New Change - The Wheeler's

Here are some images of Charles Wheeler's Guardian Lions and St. Georges from the outdoor area on the 6th floor of One New Change. Originally they stood over the entrance to the Bank Of England's Accounts Department, who occupied the site from the 1950's until 2007.

For more Wheeler links, click on the appropriate label.

Wheelerabila continued

As I was in the Royal Borough and had Charles Wheeler's autobiography with me I thought I would try and track down a couple of his old haunts.See labels for other Wheeler posts.

This private plaque marks the first flat he took in London.

It is at Hereford Buildings on the west side of Church Lane, Chelsea. The building was designed by Elijah Hoole in 1878 for associates of Octavia Hill.

Just around the corner in Justice Walk, was his first studio, "in the shadow of the old Courthouse"

There is a major refurbishment happening there at the moment. His former studio is hidden behind hoardings. I will snap it when the work is finished. For the time being this weathered sign will have to do.

Wheeler's Greatest Challenge

I was recently given a copy of "High Relief" the autobiography of Sir Charles Wheeler the sculptor. The cover shows him working on "Earth", one of his massive figures at the Ministry of Defence in London.

The biggest challenge of his career was not carving the monumental MOD figures but rather producing two far more modest lion heads, that support the balcony at India House in Aldwych.

They were carved from Swedish black granite and he writes "So hard was the stone that I kept a boy running from studio to smithy so that my chisels could be remade after a dozen or so blows for they then became quite blunt."

High relief: The autobiography of Sir Charles Wheeler, sculptor

Boris Anrep at One New Change

I mentioned the Boris Anrep mosaics at One New Change the other day, here are some pictures. There is another one on the roof terrace, along with four Charles Wheeler sculptures. These were all salvaged from the original Bank of England site. There are more details from the City of London Planning Department here.

The Other Triton Fountain

Many people know the Triton Fountain in Regent's Park London but many more walk past another Triton fountain in London without ever realising it.

The two fountains in Trafalgar Square were switched off today for some urgent maintenance. A fault in them flooded the tube last week! It was a good opportunity to take some photos.


The two sets of bronze fountains were produced by two different sculptors, Sir Charles Wheeler and William McMillan, each set sitting within the stone pools beneath the original fountains designed by Edwin Lutyens. They were commissioned by Parliament to commemorate two First World War Admirals, Jellicoe and Beattie.

Wheeler produced the westerly memorial fountains to Jellicoe and a bust of the Admiral that stands to the north of the Square. The two groups of figures are:

The Mermaid Group

The Triton Group

Classics wasn't a strength at my truly vile comprehensive school, so I needed to resort to Wikipedia for assistance on the significance of "Triton". If like me, you are mythologically challenged, answers can be found here.

This is Wheeler's accompanying bust of Jellicoe.

I am a big fan of Wheeler, he was so incredibly versatile. More of his statuary, including examples in Trafalgar Square to follow.