A Derivative...

The City of London is well known for its markets and world wide reputation for business including the lucrative derivative markets.

Who could have imagined that the City still manages to kick up derivatives of the humble bollard. Close to the recent development in New Street Square and the very fine but much older Gough Square you'll find these rather interesting looking bollards that bear no resemblance to the usual "cannon/dandy" type bollards we've all got so used to.

Welcome once again to bollards of London...

Cheap looking mini-bollard...

October bollard fest brings you the cheapest looking bollard that has ever been placed upon a street/road in London.

You can find this cheap looking mini-bollard at the junction of Ebury Street and Elizabeth Street. Ironically the local council has just spent millions on this junction and it is rather odd they would blight the area with such an odd looking mini-bollard.

Bollards of London...

Welcome to Bollard Fest...

In Germany they celebrate in October with wonderful beer festivals but what can we celebrate here in the UK and low and behold the Great London bollards...

Over the next 20/21 days we shall publish pictures of bollards from all over the capital on a daily basis and here we start with a few rusty bollards which can be found on Hampton Street SE17 close to the iconic London Lipstick at the Elephant and Castle.

Welcome to Bollards of London but more importantly welcome to Bollard Fest...

Kensington Trust 1823...

Right in the heart of Chelsea I came across a Kensington Trust bollard dated 1823...

This type/design of bollard is your traditional cannon type, painted white and with a few scrapes/scars I might add. It is actually placed in the correct position for a bollard with a function and that is within the kerb and not a foot in and encroaching on the pavement, which so many pointless bollards do today.

What a local treasure though dating back to 1823, if it could talk I bet it would have a few stories to tell of the local area.

Doesn't the black lettering look fantastic against the white/greyish background of the surface of the bollard.

Bollards...

No.1 Bollard of Chinatown...

Here in London's west end or to be precise Chinatown we can see a Chinese bollard. These bollards can be found on Lisle Street W1 they have a square base with slight curved side/tops which leads to a ribbed area and then a longish red painted column and another ribbed area leading to a golden ball which adorns the top of this rather pleasant looking bollard.

With all the deliveries in the area we can see that this bollard has certainly taken a swipes and I'm sure it has left its mark on the side of a few white vans...

Bollards of London...

Conway Street, Fitzrovia...W1.

If you happen to be in "Fitzrovia" near the BT tower you may come across Conway Street with the junction of Maple Street. Here you will find a rather peculiar bollard for it is rather old around 1850's so mid 19th century with a pointed head/top.

The bollard is jet gloss black in colour and is planted well and truly into the kerbside. Three ribbed/rings adorn the exterior plus it has some writing/date which I couldn't make out due to excessive paint jobs. The base of the top has eight sides and each panel points inwards and upwards to create the pointed top which stops people placing objects on/upon the bollard.

Bollards...

Camouflaged Bollards...

I nearly didn't see these and bollards and what a set they are, full marks to the gardener who has used his/her imagination to cover up a rather boring set of concrete bollards with that wonderful plant the Ivy.

Camouflaged bollards, who would have thought that a simple plant could turn this row of bollards into a rather beautiful sight. With trees behind and then a pretty well maintained hedge this view can be found if you head/walk west along Grosvenor Road SW1 and keep your eyes peeled to the left hand side.

I'm starting to think these bollards should be placed outside the Imperial war museum...

The Westminster Collection...

Here we have the Westminster collection which I just happened to come across when I exited Lower Robert Street and turned left on to Savoy Place W1.

What a collection for the 5th bollard from the left of the photograph is in fact a St Mary-le-bone bollard and the 1st along with the 3rd certainly have a look an age about them that suggests we have found a little pot of bollard gold maybe.

The 2nd/4th and 6th bollard are your bog standard Westminster bollard that you'll find in and around the borough except these bollards are planted narrow side on rather than the large flat side facing the road.

The City Collection...

With the return of bonus culture in the square mile I thought we should take another look at the city bollards and never fear the corporation must have a budget for bollards that would please some parish councils.

Back to the bollards here at Fann Street on the edge of the Barbican and Golden Lane Estates we have a collection of city of London bollards all doing very different jobs but still a generic bollard with a slight difference or could I say derivative (sorry couldn't help that).

The bollard to the right is part of a fire gate hence the chain/padlock draped around it. To its left is a no motorcycle sign bollard (this is a cycle/bike path), in the background we have a bollard which more than likely has a sign facing in the other direction and finally two bollards with the white arrow on a blue background denoting a one way direction of travel.

Next week Gray's Inn bollard and further bollards of the square mile...

Padlocked bollard and the boris-bikes...

Here we have a padlocked bollard on Horseferry Road SW1 just north of the Dep't of Transport.

The bollard is stratigically placed to protect the bay/ranks of "boris-bikes". The boris-bikes are not in place yet (picture taken last week) but the idea that a bollard has to be padlocked does make you wonder what sort of city we live in. Honestly are we really concerned that somebody may want to steal a bollard.

The bollard is a bog standard Westminster Council with a yellow padlock. Must mention the traffic cone looking rather small but dandy when placed next to the jet black bollard.

Bollards...

Holborn 1937...

What a dumpy almost thumb like bollard we've found near Great James Street WC1.

We can see on close inspection this cast iron bollard was made in 1937 and it appears in Holborn. It is zebra stripped but looking pretty good and well aged considering it is 73 years old.

The bollard itself has a square base which is inset into the kerbside which gives maximum pavement space to pedestrians. I must say love the window box in the background of picture plus the contrast of the drain whole cover dragging your attention away from this rather rare bollard.

Holborn 1937 just think this bollard survived the blitz...

The Saint in WC1...

Found this bollard on John Street WC1 last night and it reminded me of the Saint "Simon Templar"...

This bollard just happens to be a bog standard type with a red reflective disc which just happens to make a great head for this piece of bollard art or vandalism which ever takes your fancy. In fact with the flash of a camera or your head lamp this bollard certainly stands out from the rest.

Could bollard advertising produce revenue for local councils in the future...

Walworth SE17...

Welcome to Walworth or should I say the Elephant and Castle or South London but head to Iliffe Street junction of Crampton Street SE17 and you'll find this gem of a bollard.

Zebra stripped like so many but this is a pretty old Victorian bollard planted next to blocks of pretty Victorian flats called Pullen's buildings which have a real local and some what interesting history.

Nice rounded top, wonderful small balls surrounding two edges and then the bollard tapers and we then come to the column which is an octagon (eight sides) which has a base that flairs outwards giving the bollard a much stronger wider base.

If you take a close look you'll notice the rather cheap paint job. Yes people have just slapped a colour over the previous flaking paint...

Bollards...

PS really nice cafe just around the corner in Crampton Street situated by Iliffe Yard worth a visit...

Broken bollard...

A broken bollard sighted in Marshall Street, Soho W1 and here we get the chance to look into the core of those street objects that appear all over the capital.

The bollard appears to be set around a central steel column which is hollow. This piece of street furniture forms part of a width restriction and must have taken one hell of a whack to have cracked in such a manner.

In times of austerity we must surely look at where we spend money and street furniture is certainly an area where local government can cut costs with less bollards, bumps and sleeping policemen...

Smooth Bollards for London Zoo...

I visited London Zoo the other week (paid £19.00p) and what did I find but bollards...

London Zoo amongst all its wonders ends up planting these pointless objects. These are a smooth concrete variety which you tend to find in some of London's not so interesting places and borough's.

Taking a closer look they appear to be pretty new has the tarmac has been replaced at the base of these bollards.

Next week we are having a look at Gray's Inn bollards.

PS must say the otters and the squirrel monkeys are great fun and the Zoo is certainly worth a visit even if it looks a little dated...

Sclater Street E1...

Just off Brick Lane or Bethnal Green Road you can find Sclater Street and what did I find the other evening but a yellow concrete bollard.

Now if the new coalition need a few ideas on not what to spend money on they should certainly take a closer look at the bollard budget of all local councils.

This bollard is a cylinder shaped with a slightly domed top and painted that awful day glow yellow. Smooth to touch but other than stopping cars parking on pavement these pavement objects serve no purpose here in Sclater Street E1.

Three for One...

Here we have a fantastic offer of three for one from a well know supermarket and yes these are bollards....bollards with covers.

Only a well known supermarket could turn the humble anti ram bollard into an advertising opportunity.

Then again every little helps...

The Square Mile...

The City of London Corporation (the square mile) have more bollards per square foot that any other London Borough. The only exception to this rule might by Whitehall and the village of Westminster.

These wooden bollards appear at the top of Fetter Lane with a former junction of High Holborn. Theses bollards mark a gateway for cyclists notice the three groves at the top and also that the top/head is like a flattened or shallow pitched pyramid. Why would this be you may ask well it probably stops people leaving empty coffee cups or cans.

If we look into the back drop of this picture you'll notice more of the traditional style of bollard that we are used to finding in the Square Mile...

Wear and Tear...

If you happen to be in Whitehall you'll notice the explosion of bollards designed to protect the various Government offices that line this marvellous street/road.

In the centre of the road lots of construction material is left behind fencing for the various contractors but what I did notice the other day was the two stone bollards on a paved area which houses a statue.

The bollard nearest to me is wearing away at a pretty decent rate when compared to its opposite number.

Welcome once again to bollards of London...

Peckham Bollards...

Yes take a trip down to East Dulwich Grove in Peckham south east London and you'll come across the now famous Anthony Gormley bollards.

These bollards certainly do stand out from the usual bollards that we witness all over the capital.

These two bollards don't really look that interesting but they certainly show that conceptual artists get in on the act everywhere and not just in galleries...

I wonder what these bollards would fetch at auction ?

Fallen Bollard...

Yes if bollards weren't enough and when one is fallen or knocked over out come the cones to the rescue...

Here in the City of London we have found an ornate pavement bollard taken out and then surrounded by cones and tape to protect members of the public from this now pavement hazard. But wasn't this bollard a hazard in the first place ?

You may have noticed in the background the new tubular stainless steel traffic bollards with "keep left" sign.

Could this be a warning to Clegg ? I jest...

Bollards...Square Mile does it again !

Here we are back in the City of London yet again and they never fail to prove that the Square Mile is the Capital of the Nation of Bollards...

Here we have a rather crusty even rusty looking poor Bollard which can be found on Farringdon Street in the centre of the road just before the junction of Ludgate Circus.

Now this Bollard is a little different from other Bollards in the Square Mile for it carries the winged helmet of St George on one of its sides.

The Square Mile is the capital of the Bollard Nation...

Marylebone Bowler Bollard...

If you happen to be taking a stroll down Marylebone High Street you might just wander off down a side street and come across a very odd class of bollard.

I only found this type/design the other week and I noticed how the bollard doesn't taper towards the top but looks curiously like a bowler hat ?

Take a close look and I'm sure you'll agree with me the other thing you may notice is the scars or scraps where vehicles may have touched the bollard.

Marylebone High Street is a wonderful place but take a stroll around the back streets and see if you come across this very plain but I have to say pleasant looking bollard.

Doing a Cliff Richard ?

Here we have a Westminster City Council bollard "doing a Cliff Richard".

What is a "doing a Cliff Richard" ? Well I noticed when I was younger that on the odd occasion of seeing Cliff on television he was the only ever stage act that could lean at nearly 45% without falling over over or using any type of super glue on the soles of his shoes.

This sorry looking bollard though looks like it has taken a thoroughly good whack for the paving slab has cracked which it sits upon/within.

If you happen to be a Sir Cliff Richard fan please do not take offence, so on that note may I wish you all a Happy Easter.

What a Pair of Bollards !

Have a look for these two bollards in Alderney Street SW1. You would be forgiven for thinking that we were in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea when in fact we are in Pimlico and the City of Westminster.

These two bollards are very ornate and certainly look a lot older than the usual standard Westminster bollard we are used to seeing littering the pavements across the borough and protecting Gov't buildings.

Ornate, older and certainly different bollards of Alderney Street they are.

Bollards of BP...

There I was filling up my taxi-cab at the BP petrol station on the Finchley Road and what do I notice but these yellow coloured ball top bollards marking the boundary of this very popular petrol station.

It seems that even the oil companies have got in on the act and decided to produce these rather odd looking bollards, although I must say they do seem to complement the newish green colour/branding of the worlds finest oil company.

These bollards mark the boundary and sit on a square base, with a slightly tapering cylindrical column painted white with a yellow ribbed ball planted top. Why the ball at the top well my guess is that it stops people placing cups or cans on them.

Notice in the background the local council bollards?

Set in Concrete...

The quest and the journey for the ultimate bollard of London continues and low and behold what do we find just off the Gray's Inn Road WC1 but a Camden Council concrete bollard.

It is smooth to touch and very simple to make for this would merely require a mold and the correct mix of concrete. In fact the simplicity of this bollard makes it look very attractive for it is a real change from the cast iron type we are used to finding on the streets and roads.

Coming soon legal bollards yes the even the barristers have got in on the bollards...

Rising Bollards

There I was attempting to cross the road near Parliament at a Pelican crossing and what do I come across but an anti ram rising bollard.

Yes it's truly amazing what we can achieve when we put great engineering minds to work, yes the rising bollard is hear to stay and maybe coming to a street or road near you.

With the threat of terrorism here to stay it is certainly a sign of these times when the authorities have to protect buildings from vehicles that may attempt to ram them.

This bollard itself is a solid cylindrical object that could probably stop a battle tank, it carries two yellow warning strips for the purpose of warning the law abiding citizen and driver.

Have to say do like the brick road way I would have thought tarmac would have been good enough for this part of the capital.

What a Landmark !

Just dropped off at Marylebone station to find two very dandy bollards at the back of the London Landmark hotel.

This pair of bollards taper slightly from top to bottom and then bell outwards with a top that resembles a pith hat or some might say a part of a females body.

What sets this pair of bollards off though is the paint job, a golden top and nipple with a red underside to the main tapering column. Near the base you'll notice another slightly smaller gold ring almost touching the pavement.

Melcombe Place and the London Landmark hotel certainly have a couple of gems outside the backdoor.

Which came first the Bollard or the Hedge...

There I was on a drive to a block of flats in St John's Wood NW8 and who could believe what I saw in my headlamps but a hedge row full of bollards!

I'm starting to wonder where next, what other places in the capital will spit out a bollard or two where one would least expect.

So I ask the simple question question; "What came first the Bollard or the Hedge" ?

Answers on a picture of a bollard to be sent to john.bollards@gmail.com

Bollard of Balham...

Here we have a bollard of Balham a rather sedate looking green one that we can see standing alone next to a lamp post.

Mid green in colour and with a cannon ball top and ribbed with three rings placed around column. Balham like many parts of South West London is a rather middle class place and what we tend to find is that bollards match the social class of an area.

Take a look through this blog and you'll notice how the most dandy/ornate and therefore more costly bollards tend to be in the smartest parts of the city. So could we be onto something here, is their a economic trend developing based on even on street furniture?

In fact the only way for us to put this theory to the test is to keep snapping and logging where bollards appear/placed and then decide whether the bollard is of a standard that matches the social background of an area/postcode.

Who would have thought that maybe London's bollards are a sign of wealth within a district...

Temping Bollards...

Just when you thought the City of London couldn't produce anymore types/styles even designs of bollards here we find in New Change some temporary ones which have replaced the normal fixed bollards before and after events like the Lord Mayor's show.

Well these two plastic bollards are pretty bland you could even say boring. They sit on their own large base and then taper slightly towards the square top with a keep left sign stuck firmly in place.

You should notice in the background the two traditional cannon type bollards sitting just in front of the red telephone box.

50 not out for Bollards of London...

Who would have thought it possible to create a blog 0n the 4th of May 2009 about the humble and sometimes dandy Bollards of London. Yet we did and here we are still pulling absolute crackers out of the tarmac/pavements

It seems at times that we really are a nation of bollards, whilst people sleep rough and members of our armed services lack vital equipment back home here in the UK but especially London we can find vast amounts of money to cast, plant, paint and even create new styles of these objects.

On a slightly less serious note we have pictured here a very old looking and rather dandy Westminster City Council bollard that sits proudly on the pavement by the most wonderful of monuments to the war in the Crimea. The bollard though has a semi-circular top and is slightly tapered with roses around its upper half & what appears to be the crest of City of Westminster. The lower half flares outwards slightly and we can just make out the date which happens to be 1909 a cool 101 years old.

Well what a bollard to find and what a bollard to celebrate 50 not out for this slightly different but important blog which finds, tracks and charts the many Bollards of London. A big thank you to Big George of bbc London 94.9 fm and how could I not mention Peter Watt's of the big smoke at timeout online.

The leaning bollards of King Street, Covent Garden WC.2

A very Happy New Year for 2010 and the new decade ahead with a stonking picture of the leaning bollards of King Street, Covent Garden WC2.

If you wish to find theses bollards which I'm sure were planted in a vertical position get yourself down to the junction of King Street & Bedford Street in London's trendy and pleasant shopping district of the old Covent Garden Fruit and Veg market.

Now back to the bollards they are a rather bland bog standard type that look more like a cannon that the usual Westminster City Council one's we find littered all over the borough. These bollards though do keep vehicles off the pavement for we can see clearly in the picture that the cobble stone road is in fact level with the kerb and the pavement. It seems we have no end of money to spend on junctions like this when it must surely be cheaper to just have a normal junction with a tarmac road and with kerbs and a normal pavement which would then negate the need for these bollards.

Maybe 2010 can be the start of a decade where local councils cut pointless spending and start to think in a more logical fashion...