RLFS Weathervane, Welbeck Mansions, Hammersmith, London, W6.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 29.588 W 000° 13.362
30U E 692792 N 5708323
Only the South cardinal point letter remains on this old weathervane.
Waymark Code: WMBNZA
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/07/2011
Views: 6
This is an old weathervane with the letters RLFS cut into the tail of the vane. It is mounted on an ornate finial on a turret above a two storey oriel bay with chamfered corbel on the corner of this old building. Unfortunately three of the cardinal point letters are missing, the only one remaining is the 'S'.
The oriel bay is two storeys high on a four storey building which is basically two bays wide on its south face and some five irregular bays deep. The entrance door is below the oriel bay and is currently the entrance to the 'Villagio' restaurant/coffee shop. There are the letters RLFS entwined and carved into the pediment above the door.
It is most probable that the initials stand for Royal London Friendly Society, there is the date 1861 set between the two ground floor windows and this is the date "the Royal London was founded as a Friendly Society in a London coffee shop by Henry Ridge and Joseph Degge".
Whether this building was in existence before 1861, or whether it was built/enlarged as a result of the founding, I do not know, but it would appear to date from the mid-Victorian period and would have probably been the offices of the Society.
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