The Old Billingsgate Market, built 1876, is the last of multiple buildings that have stood here over the centuries. One of its most amazing features is the triangular pediment topped with a large statue of Britannia. By the Victorian era, Britannia, who had roots in the Roman occupation of Britain and whose form was based on the Roman goddess Minerva, had become the symbol of Britain's power and influence as a powerful maritime empire spanning the globe.
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"Britannia was the Greek and Roman term for the geographical region of Great Britain which was inhabited by the Britons and is the name given to the female personification of the island. . . . In AD 43 the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province they called Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia (roughly Scotland). The native Celtic inhabitants of the province are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a Corinthian helmet.
The Latin name Britannia long survived the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and yielded the name for the island in most European and various other languages, including the English Britain and the modern Welsh Prydain. After centuries of declining use, the Latin form was revived during the English Renaissance as a rhetorical evocation of a British national identity. Especially following the Acts of Union in 1707, which joined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, the personification of the martial Britannia was used as an emblem of British imperial power and unity. She was featured on all modern British coinage series until the redesign in 2008, and still appears annually on the gold and silver "Britannia" bullion coin series. In 2015 a new definitive £2 coin was issued, with a new image of Britannia.
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Renaissance and British Empire
It was during the reign of Elizabeth I that "Britannia" came to be viewed as a personification of Britain. In his 1576 General and rare memorials pertayning to the Perfect Arte of Navigation, John Dee used a frontispiece figure of Britannia kneeling by the shore beseeching Elizabeth I, to protect her empire by strengthening her navy.
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During the reign of Charles II, Britannia made her first appearance on English coins on a farthing of 1672 (see Depiction on British coinage and postage stamps below). With the constitutional unification of England with Scotland in 1707 and then with Ireland in 1800, Britannia became an increasingly important symbol and a strong rallying point among Britons.
British power, which depended on a liberal political system and the supremacy of the navy, lent these attributes to the image of Britannia. By the time of Queen Victoria, Britannia had been renewed. Still depicted as a young woman with brown or golden hair, she kept her Corinthian helmet and her white robes, but now she held Poseidon's trident and often sat or stood before the ocean and tall-masted ships representing British naval power. She also usually held or stood beside a Greek hoplite shield, which sported the British Union Flag: also at her feet was often the British Lion, an animal found on the arms of England, Scotland and the Prince of Wales.
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Perhaps the best analogy is that Britannia is to the United Kingdom and the British Empire what Marianne is to France or perhaps what Columbia is to the United States. Britannia became a very potent and more common figure in times of war, and represented British liberties and democracy."
Today, the Old Billingsgate Fish Market has been repurposed as an elegant event venue on the Thames in London.
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"A London Landmark rising from the banks of the River Thames, in the heart of the City, stands a striking historic building which is part of London's heritage.
Given a contemporary twist by Lord Richard Rogers, oldbillingsgate now accommodates three versatile, blank canvas event spaces to feed your imagination.
Moments from Tower Bridge, this Victorian Grade II Listed building has been transformed from a world famous fish market into London's premier event space.
The distinctive Grade II listed building offers 80,000 square feet of pure potential and is available on a dry-hire basis. oldbillingsgate hosts some of London's most prestigious events from sparkling film premiers and awards dinners, to large scale conferences and exhibitions."