Whitecross Street Lunch Market & Comptoir Gourmand Patisserie & Café

Gog & Magog sculptures and walk

Gog and Magog are names from the Bible, specifically interpreted as a king and his kingdom, respectively. But as Christianity infiltrated Albion (the Isle of Britain), it appears that they became one person Gogmagog, leader of the giants overthrown by Brutus of Troy, according to legend.

Later, it appears the word split to refer to two people: Gog, the giant, and Magog, the Trojan warrior Corineus who killed the giant.  Gog and Magog are now feted as the traditional guardians of the City of London, where their postwar wooden sculptures, in Roman uniform, watch over the Guildhall interior.

Many fascinating legends and details surround these two, but here let's talk about tangible things. First, the original 14-foot guardians of Gog and Magog were made of "wickerwork and pasteboard" which lasted about 400 years before deterioriating. Two rounds of wooden sculptures have replaced them, but in 2006, new 14-foot wicker statues were created to showcase in the Lord Mayor's parade. After one parade three or four years ago, the statues were displayed in the Royal National Hotel lobby; otherwise they are kept at the Guildhall between parades. The wicker statues can next be seen in the Lord Mayor's Procession on Saturday, 10 November 2012.

The wicker-work Gog & Magog statues
for the Lord Mayor's Procession
(Courtesy of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers)

But a different sort of Gog and Magog exist outside Cambridge. South of the city are the only hills visible for miles (the Urals in one direction!). About 70m in elevation, they tower over the flat fenlands. These are the Gog Magog Hills. It is possible they were named for legendary giants sleeping beneath them.

I recall the Gog Magog Hills now because they were the site of several wonderful walks, one at Christmastime, when living in Cambridge. They provided refuge from the flatness of Cambridge in the wooded uplands, gaining a good view over the plains. So this mountain-loving girl took solace in the Gog Magogs, unnecessary now living in a more topographically interesting place.

Revisiting City of London bollards

My very first post was on the bollards of the City of London. Since then, I have found even more varieties that do not mark curbs but direct traffic! Specialist bollards that have cast-in places for road signs. These include one-way signs, and signs marking lanes for motorcycle and bicycle use. But don't you think the number used here is a bit overkill?

Traffic-directing bollards in the City of London

Bollards in the City of London

TOPIC: bollard (pronounced 'bowl-lard')
Like, in all of these cutbacks and threats to the economy, why is the City of London implanting new bollards along their streets? Heavy iron things painted in classy black, red and silver. Each one must cost a fortune (though they appear to have been manufactured in the 1990s when we were all flush [see 1992 date on one below]). There are two kinds, too: tall skinny ones and squat bulky ones. The streets getting these fixtures already have double yellow lines (indicating no parking at any time, unloading for max 40 minutes) (but then again, you have to read the regs for each London borough because they define the lines differently, especially the application time of the regs). So are these bollards to keep cars from mounting the curb during loading? There must be three cars a day that use the streets where these bollards sit. And how long will they keep their nice shiny appearance, until they rust away like all iron does? Then we will have nasty hulks squatting on the pavements (sidewalks to you folks out there). Or will they employ an army of people to repaint them periodically?

• "A bollard is a short vertical post. Originally it only meant a post used on a quay for mooring. The word now also describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles." ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard




To see more London bollards, check out
http://bollardsoflondon.blogspot.com/