The mosaic is mounted on two pillars
with the lower edge being about twenty feet above the ground. This allows plenty
of clearance for refuge collection vehicles to enter the outdoor market area to
remove the rubbish that accumulates on a daily basis.
The name "Woolwich Market" is
displayed along the bottom edge of the mosaic and above each pillar is a
character, the one on the left being male and that on the right being female.
The lady is carrying a lamb... but the market does not handle livestock these
days!
At the centre of the mosiac, at the
lower edge, is a circular section that holds an image of a charter and seal. In
a semi-circle, around the charter image and also in mosaic, are the
words:
"This market has been serving the
citizens of
Woolwich sine it was created by a
Charter granted by James I
in 1919".
Above and around the wording, also in
mosaic, are some of the produce sold at the market. From left to right these are
(or could be): Flowers, carrots, tomatoes, onions, leeks, fish, apples pears,
bananas, grapes, cheese, eggs and meat. These are produce of the modern market
and nor those of 1619!
The Public Monuments and Sculpture
Association website [visit
link] tells us:
"Arch set across the eastern access
into Woolwich Market with cut-out shapes and figures representing its purpose
and origins. It is flat and has the appearance of being made of mosaic. The two
sides are different. Each side comprises a name board with a picture in a circle
in the centre. Above is a curved top with the inscription in a semi-circle
within it. On the side leading into the market is the name, Woolwich Market,
with a picture of the red seal of James I on a rolled charter in the roundel
between the two words. In a semi-circle above are cut-outs of market produce,
from left to right: flowers, carrots, onions, leeks, fish, apples, pears,
bananas, grapes, cheese, eggs, meat. Two cut-out figures are standing on the
name board, one each side. On the left is a merchant in seventeenth century
dress, mostly black, holding up a pair of scales. On the right is a Saxon woman
in grey holding a lamb. The main background is beige in colour with tile-red
lettering. Viewed from the market side, the name board says Beresford Square and
the picture in the roundel is of a Viking ship, the head of a sheep with curved
horns and a stack of bales of wool. The two figures and the cut-out produce are
the same on both sides. The arch is set on two black columns, each with two
gold-coloured rings around the top. Depicts the fresh produce that was once the
main trade of the market, and two figures from the past. The seventeenth century
merchant is from the time the market was founded, and the Saxon woman with the
lamb refers to the name, Woolwich, which is the Saxon word for 'wool port'. The
market was founded in the seventeenth century by Royal Charter. The current
market runs every day and is a mix of fruit and vegetable stalls, and clothes,
goods and plants."