Leapfrog Bollard
Bollards come in many shapes and sizes and although I've occasionally noticed a bollard of interest (see Policeman Bollard) nothing has surprised me as much as this one.
Bollards come in many shapes and sizes and although I've occasionally noticed a bollard of interest (see Policeman Bollard) nothing has surprised me as much as this one.
It's a cast of a Hans Town 1819 bollard with a bronze statue of a boy leapfrogging over it. The boy is attached so it looks bizarre from different angles. Next to the boy is a seated girl and this is called 'Two Pupils'. The note on the girl's plinth tells us that these children are dressed in the style of circa 1814 at the Royal Military Asylum which occupied the site from 1803-1909 when the Duke of York's Royal Military School relocated to Dover.
The sculptor was Allister Bowtell who was commissioned by the Cadogan Estate for the Sloane Square refurbishment at Duke of York Square in 2002, to mark the bicentenary of the 1803 opening of the Royal Military Asylum by the 'Grand Old Duke of York'. (Yes, he of the nursery rhyme.) The Royal Military Asylum educated working class children on a large scale as many were left orphaned by the Great War, which culminated in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The leapfrogging boy is supposed to be trying to impress the girl who in turn is pretending not be impressed. Ah, an age old flirting ritual then. Allister Bowtell was a former chairman of Chelsea Arts Club so this part of town was close to his heart. Bowtell, who died in 2006, also made a 10ft high penis sculpture for the Raymond Revuebar, for the girls to dance around. He also made the original Dr Who cybermen and Rod Hull's emu. What a character!
How To Find It
Walk up King's Road on the left from Sloane Square and when Peter Jones ends (on your right) turn left and there it is; opposite Cadogan Gardens and leading down to the new Duke of York Square.
If this has opened your eyes to the wonder of bollards, there is a blog dedicated to these stubby street posts that is actually a fascinating read: Bollards of London blog.
Bollards come in many shapes and sizes and although I've occasionally noticed a bollard of interest (see Policeman Bollard) nothing has surprised me as much as this one.
It's a cast of a Hans Town 1819 bollard with a bronze statue of a boy leapfrogging over it. The boy is attached so it looks bizarre from different angles. Next to the boy is a seated girl and this is called 'Two Pupils'. The note on the girl's plinth tells us that these children are dressed in the style of circa 1814 at the Royal Military Asylum which occupied the site from 1803-1909 when the Duke of York's Royal Military School relocated to Dover.
The sculptor was Allister Bowtell who was commissioned by the Cadogan Estate for the Sloane Square refurbishment at Duke of York Square in 2002, to mark the bicentenary of the 1803 opening of the Royal Military Asylum by the 'Grand Old Duke of York'. (Yes, he of the nursery rhyme.) The Royal Military Asylum educated working class children on a large scale as many were left orphaned by the Great War, which culminated in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The leapfrogging boy is supposed to be trying to impress the girl who in turn is pretending not be impressed. Ah, an age old flirting ritual then. Allister Bowtell was a former chairman of Chelsea Arts Club so this part of town was close to his heart. Bowtell, who died in 2006, also made a 10ft high penis sculpture for the Raymond Revuebar, for the girls to dance around. He also made the original Dr Who cybermen and Rod Hull's emu. What a character!
How To Find It
Walk up King's Road on the left from Sloane Square and when Peter Jones ends (on your right) turn left and there it is; opposite Cadogan Gardens and leading down to the new Duke of York Square.
If this has opened your eyes to the wonder of bollards, there is a blog dedicated to these stubby street posts that is actually a fascinating read: Bollards of London blog.
