Eleanor Cross - Charing Cross - London
Posted by: 
Norfolk12
N 51° 30.504 W 000° 07.524
30U E 699478 N 5710281
Quick Description: One of The twelve Eleanor Crosses,
this one is a replica replaced in 1865 at present is undergoing cleaning to remove the grime.
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 5/22/2009 3:58:45 PM
Waymark Code: WM6EPC
Views: 8
Long Description:The cross at Charing Cross, in what was then the Royal Mews, was
the most expensive, built of marble and the result of cooperation
between an architect and a sculptor, Master Alexander of Abingdon
and the senior royal mason Richard of Crundale respectively.
Charing is the subject of the romantic etymology of chère reine
(dear queen), but the name probably comes from the Anglo-Saxon word
cerring, a bend, as it stands on the outside of a 90-degree bend in
the River Thames .
The original cross stood at the top of Whitehall on the south side
of Trafalgar Square, but was destroyed in 1647 and replaced by an
equestrian statue of Charles I in 1675.
This point in Trafalgar Square is regarded as the official centre
of London in legislation and when measuring distances from
London.
A replacement cross was erected in 1865 in front of Charing
Cross railway station, a few hundred metres to the east along the
Strand. It is not a faithful replica, being more ornate than the
original. It stands 70 ft (21 m) high and was commissioned by the
South Eastern Railway Company for their newly-opened Charing Cross
Hotel. The new cross was designed by the architect of the hotel,
E.M.Barry, who is best known for his work on Covent Garden. It was
constructed by Thomas Earp of Lambeth from Portland stone,
Mansfield stone and Aberdeen granite.
Fragments of the medieval structure are held in the Museum of
London and surviving drawings of the original enable an accurate
virtual reconstruction.
Replicas and imitations
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries several replica
Eleanor Crosses were erected, including at Ilam, Staffordshire,
Walkden, Lancashire, Sledmere, East Riding of Yorkshire, and
Queensbury, London.
Information from Various sources[ including wikipedia]