City of London Boundary Dragons - Bishopsgate, London, UK
N 51° 31.289 W 000° 04.719
30U E 702663 N 5711864
There were originally 7 gates to the City of London. The sites of the "bars", the limits of the City boundaries outside (without) the walls where travellers paid their tolls, are still marked today with statues of dragons.
Waymark Code: WMGD4P
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/17/2013
Views: 4
The Emm in London blog [visit
link] tells us:
"At the heart of London are two
cities: the City of London and the City of Westminster. The City of London
is the ancient part of London that was once known as the Roman city of
Londinium. It comprises an area of one square mile and is located north of
South Bank and London Bridge. The boundaries of the City of London have
changed little since medieval times and the boundary is six miles
long.
The entrance to the City of London
is marked in ten locations by statues of dragons. There are two dragons
supporting the City of London Coat of Arms and dragons are important symbols of
the city.
The dragons at Victoria Embankment
are quite special (one of which is pictured above). They mark the boundary
between the City of London and the City of Westminster, with the dragon facing
outwards from the City of London.
These are the original dragons that
were located under the entrance to the Coal Exchange in Lower Thames
Street. The Coal Exchange was demolished in 1963 and the dragons were
moved to either side of the Victoria Embankment."
The photos show the Bishopsgate dragon
and boundary post.