Bollards Uncovered...

Covered...

With London soon to host the Olympic Games much has been made of the legacy of sport but a more practical legacy will be the various transport improvements across the capital. It just so happens that major work has been taking place at Blackfriars and Cannon Street Stations in the City of London.

If we take a look at the top picture we see three bollards waiting to be uncovered on Queen Victoria Street by the unfinished side entrance to Blackfriars Station. The style of bollard used/chosen by the Corporation of London on the pavement is ornate/simple and lacks the crest/badge/emblem we are used to seeing on bollards all over the City of London (Square Mile). If we take a look at the pictures below we see the perfect pavement and kerb stones fitted with a rather long row of bollards 'protecting' the new brighter/cleaner opening entrance to Cannon Street Station.

The bottom picture is of three matt black square based bollards that quickly taper towards a ridged/star banded orange squeezer shaped top. Soon the gloss paint will be applied and this part of the City of London will have completely transformed in time for the many thousands visitors who will be visiting our great City called London.

Cannon Street...

Railings down...

Waiting for the paint...

It appears bollards has trodden on the toes of the railway network and for those of you who enjoy travelling by train and seek an opinion that certainly grabbed my interest please do take a look at the blog/site Sophie on Track very interesting and useful in my opinion.

Do take a look at my new blog created by your pictures/photographs (around Britain) Bollards of Britain with its #Boll-art and #Bollard News features.

Bollards of London...

West Tenter Street E1 and a little 'Boll-art'...

No entry...

I'm at the junction of West Tenter Street and Scarborough Street E1 where I came across this rather odd shaped bollard.

The base is a tapering rectangular block which then has a humped front. The bollard then forms a more traditional cylindrical shape that narrows/tapers slightly. With ridges on the main body we find it topped off with what looks like a hollow part ball shaped top. Again the body is painted black/white Zebra striped.

On the previous post I mentioned that this area of E1 certainly has its fair share of street furniture/bollards and just looking at the pictures (above/below) a little more closely and you'll see the bent no entry sign and some very odd looking posts.

Bollard with hump...

Manchester boll-art...

Finally we have a #guestbollard which just happens to be a piece of #boll-art from Manchester by the artist @mcmoondog on the twitter. A very simple row of bollards painted in bright colours that just brighten up the urban environment.

Bollards of London (and Manchester)...

PS please do take a look at Bollards of Britain for further examples of #boll-art and fine examples of bollards from around Britain.

The 225th Prescot Street E1...

Light saber headlamps...

In perspective...

Prescot Street E1 just happens to be part of a labyrinth of one way streets/roads around the area adjacent to the City of London and Tower of London. Amongst these streets and roads is a collection of bollards that happen to be very different with some having a story to tell, this particular bollard is the 225th on the blog/site another milestone reached and we march on towards the 250th.

We though are on Prescot Street (top picture) junction of St Mark Street where I found this cylindrical shaped bollard that tapers ever so slightly at the bottom rises vertically and has we can see clearly a small ridge appears before we get to what appears to look like a half baked loaf of soda bread. The bollard is painted black/white or has I like to refer to it Zebra striped.

If we take a look at the picture above could we have a piece of 'boll-art', I'd like to call it 'In persepctive' for we have what appears to be a never ending row of bollards along Marsham Street SW1.

Bollards of London...

PS please do take a look at the relatively new blog/site Bollards of Britain complete with its new feature 'Bollard News'.

Britton Street EC1...

Britton Street EC1...

We are in Britton Street EC1 where I found this rather interesting bollard just down from one of London's most interesting pubs the Jerusalem Tavern the pub has been on this site since 1720. Now the bollard featured in this post is rather unusual looking due to its hexagonal 'nut' shaped looking base.

So we have a silver coloured bollard with a hexagonal shaped base that quickly merges into a circular ridge. Protruding from the base is a long vertical cylindrical column that finally flares outwards to form a thin plate area that then holds an almost trophy like stand which tapers inwards and then holds the near perfect ball top finish.

If we take a look at the picture (below) we see an above elevation picture of this near perfect shaped ball top with a little wear of the silver paint work revealing a metal surface beneath.

Bollard top...

Across the pond...

The #guestbollards (above) featured on this post is supplied by the one and only Patrick Baty who just happened to be over in Charlestown, South Carolina, USA where Patrick happened to notice a pair of stone bollards outside the Heyward-Washington House in Church Street.

We happen to have two very different looking bollards on this post but each linking our nations past history from the Crusades in the 12th century and the American War of Independence in the 18th.

Bollards of London (and the USA)...

Mount Street Mayfair W1...

Damaged bollard...

We are at the junction of Mount Street and South Audley Street W1 outside Purdey gun and rifle makers where I found a number of Westminster City Council bollards that are certainly different with painted badge/emblem/crest and the gold painted top. Considering Mount Street from the Audley Arms to the Connaught Hotel has undergone a major amount of refurbishment at street level it appears the bollards outside this beautiful shop are in need of slight repair and a new paint job.

If we take a close look at the badge/emblem/crest (below) it's certainly different to the what we normally see on a bollard within Westminster. If we look at the site Civic Heraldry we see the this picture is in fact the top part of the present crest/emblem/badge of Westminster City Council minus the crown. It really is a great shame they haven't been brought back to their former glory/original state. Our final picture (beneath/below crest/emblem/badge) is one of the bollards looking dandy and in reasonable condition with its distinctive gold coloured top.

Rose to the left and Tulip to the right...

Gold top...

#guestbollard...

HH 18?6...

The #guestbollard feature (see two pictures above) on this blog/site has proved extremely popular and certainly proved to me that I'm not the only one who notices these odd even unique pieces of street furniture dotted all over the capital. So can I thank @PeterMannionMP on the twitter for providing us with two cracking photographs of a bollard he found recently on Upper Street Islington close to the entrance to a yard which will certainly require a little investigation to decipher the markings which appear to be 'HH 18?6'.

I must say it's not the just the markings on this bollard that make it very interesting but also the shape and material used. I'll be taking to a trip to Islington/Highbury this weekend and doing a little brass rubbing to get the exact date and take a much closer look at this very unique bollard. Full marks to @PeterMannionMP for this most interesting bollard.

Bollards of London...

Redchurch Street E2 Revisited...

Unusual looking bollard...

Different bollard top...

What a week for Bollards of London with an article on page 3 of the Southwark News and then  interest spreading to a national newspaper with 'Boll-art' and some #guestbollards appearing in The Sun Newspaper in print and if you click on the link online. Can I say thank you to all of you who made this possible, without your help and especially the #guestbollards this project would not have that twist that makes it a little more than a blog/site run by myself.

Back to the bollards and we are back at the junction of Redchurch Street and Bethnal Green Road E2 where we find two more interesting bollards. If we take a look at the picture (top) we see a circular based cylinder shaped bollard that tapers inwards near its base and rises vertically until it reaches a white triangular patterned band that leads us to a more ornate looking black/white curved spiked top. The picture of the bollard (above) is very similar to the previous Redchurch Street post except for the finish of the top which looks more like an inverted spinning top spike.

#guestbollard...

I must say a huge thank you to the @LollyGee on the twitter who photographed this wonderful bollard (above) near Kensal Rise with some rather nice red/grey painted inlay on the body but finished off superbly with this rather funny looking grey eyed bobble hat. This certainly does set an even higher bar for #guestbollards and I'm sure is of interest to the @deadlyknitshade !

Bollards of London...

Shelton Street WC2...

Shelton Street WC2...

We are at Shelton Street WC2 which just happens to be in the rather pleasant trendy part of London known has Covent Garden.

At the junction of Langley and Shelton Street I found this rather beautiful smooth edged tall bollard. The base is octagonal in shape with a tall body that flares outwards to create a slight straight edge that then tapers towards a soft pointed top. The paint/colour is a black shiny matt finish and can I say this fits in very well with this long slightly curved street.

Smooth shape...

Back to our #guestbollard feature which has been provided by the (below) @LondonDreamtime on the @twitter and we have a splendid tall bollard found near Surrey Docks Farm on a paved area close to the river Thames.

It's a tall tapering cylindrical bollard with a flared flat finish with a nipple to top it off. Now the the final picture (bottom) is of an event I attended at the Elephant & Castle with the wonderful @LondonDreamtime and @NofBermondsey  great music and story telling in a night time urban disused council estate.

#guestbollard...

London dream-time...

Bollards of London...

Park Crescent W1...

Park Crescent W1...

We are at Park Crescent W1 at the top of Portland Place looking towards the semi-circular crescent which is under going some much need renovation work of the railings by English Heritage can I say what a great job they are doing has well.

These bollards are very chunky with a solid square base which then rise vertically with tapering (inward) corners that form an octagonal shaped top. These bollards have been topped off with what I can only describe has a 'flying saucer top' or a 'round loaf of uncooked bread'.

Looking down (below) with an above elevation picture of the bollard top we see the unequal octagonal shaped top and what I describe has the 'dark side of the moon' just beginning to have some light shed upon it.

Dark side of the moon...

Bollards of London...

Bollard Hunting (part two)...

The Cannon/Bollard...

I was told about this up turned cannon (bollard) by the London photographer and enthusiast Maggie Jones and had to find it for myself because it was off the beaten track in the City of London.

Well has mentioned on the previous post a group of us went bollard hunting on Sunday afternoon and we found this beautiful old sunken cannon (bollard) just planted in the paved area off Undershaft EC3 by St Helen's Bishopsgate church. Very few 'cannons' actually exist in London and often claims are made that 'bollards' are when they are clearly not originals but replicas, made to look like 'cannons'.

What a beautiful piece of street furniture (picture above), the fact it just sits in the middle of a paved area with its beautiful rusting tapering body (outwards) with a narrowing curved top that leads to an almost door knob type handle.

My fellow 'bollardarians' (below) from left to right @sophontrack @itsyourlondon @AboutLondon @Rigsbyhatstand and @philipkelly29 with the upturned 'cannon' bollard in the foreground. I will take this opportunity to thank them all again and to let you know it really was a hunt for this wonderful piece of street furniture. At the beginning of the 'hunt' we had a coffee on St Mary's Axe not 100 yards from this site, it really was a bollard hunt/search with plenty of other little treasures found along the way. Badges are being prepared and made for this great bunch of people.

A great bunch of people...

Spot the bollard...

No #guestbollard on this particular post but we have a found a water pump/trough on Cornhill where a well existed back in 1282. If we look at the stone trough (above) we can see the later addition of metal bollards at either end which simply protect the stone trough from motor vehicles.

Bollards of London...

Bollard Hunting (part one)...

Fibre glass/plastic bollards...

Padlocked...

One is metal...

Yesterday I went bollard hunting in the City of London with the wonderful @AboutLondon @itsyoutlondon @sophontrack @Rigsbyhatstand and @phillipkelly29 we started the search/hunt at the Monument and soon ended up in the City of London's Leadenhall Market where a significant but practical find was made by the group.

The bollards pictured above (except one) are in fact made of plastic/fibreglass. It makes perfect sense because the bollards are moved at least twice a day (opening/closing of market) but it somehow doesn't feel right certainly to the touch anyway. We've taken a look at the bollards on the edge of the market before where they are used to attach gates/barrier to and these happen to be metal/cast iron. The colour of the bollards matches the paint work/style of the surrounding stone/iron canopy.

If you do want a different place to visit in central London the Leadenhall Market is most unusual because of the colours/artwork/bollards/dragons which you'll find everywhere. In part two of this post I'll reveal the bollard I was looking which we found in the most unusual place.

Continuing the #guestbollard feature I must say a huge thank you to @_JustHarry for this excellent example of 'bollart' (picture below) in Winchester city centre. This is a fine example of a rather bog standard bollard brought to life with the addition of some paint and a little imagination. Many other pictures of these beautiful bollards will appear on the Bollards of Britain blog/site shortly.

Winchester bollart...

Bollards of London (and Winchester)...

Outer Circle Regent's Park & the Sign...

Outer Circle Regent's Park...

Near Perfection...

Horseguards Parade...

We are at the Outer Circle Regent's Park close to a bend in the road where I came across these rather clinical almost near perfect looking bollards that are in extremely good condition considering where they are placed.

What is interesting is the fact they do not match the local environment and certainly look out of place amongst the ornate railings and Elizabeth the 2nd Lamp posts and the surrounding buildings designed by John Nash.

If we look closely at the picture (above/middle) we can see the reflection of the double yellow lines in the black gloss paint finish. The bollard happens to have a sturdy square base that rises vertically with corners tapering inwards to create an octagonal shaped top rising upwards towards a point creating a near pyramid style top. I like these bollards because they don't match the local environment and therefore in an extremely odd way they do.

Earlier this morning I happened to be on Horseguards Parade and what a sign I found (picture above) by the rising bollards which border the parade ground 'Bollards can operate without warning at any time'. What a sign and what recognition for these odd but interesting pieces of street furniture dotted all over our capital city and country.

Please do take a look at Bollards of Britain where a new feature will be starting shortly along with the many posts/bollards pictures you send me from around Britain.

Bollards of London...

Danger 230 Volts...

We are at the Royal Exchange in the heart of the City of London upon the paved area where many city workers will enjoy a tea/coffee and even a cigarette if this bollard picture is anything to go by.

If we take a close look we can see this object that looks very much like a bollard carries a smaller badge/crest/emblem of the city on its front but also happens to have a warning sticker placed on the front removable plate that informs us all that 230 Volts just happen to pass within this bollard like object supplying power to the beautiful lamp posts that happen to border the paved area of the Royal Exchange.

Can I say a big thank you to @AboutLondon on the twitter for taking this amazing photograph and also pointing out to me and hopefully you that placing cigarette butts in a gap of a bollard/post that happens to carry electricity is pretty foolish and could give one or two smokers a shock at the Royal Exchange if they're not to careful in the future.

So the #guestbollard today is the main bollard because it is so rare to find an object that demonstrates how people noticed the gap to place a butt, but failed to take note or read the warning sign.

Bollards of London (it's electrifying)...

Shoreditch E1 Bollard...

Metropolitan Borough Shoreditch...

The Bollard...

Bollard top...

Wheeler Street, London E1 contains a rather wonderful semi popular design of bollard that we can find outside the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand or off Brick Lane and around other parts of the City of London.

If we take a close look at the picture (top) we see the base of this rather ornate looking bollard and the letter MBS. Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch which existed from 1900 to 1965. In 1965 a local government reorganisation merged the Metropolitan Boroughs of Shoreditch, Stoke Newington and Hackney into the London Borough of Hackney. We now know that this bollard pre-dates 1965.

Taking a closer look at this beautiful bollard (2nd picture from top) we see it has an octagonal base that tapers slightly inwards and then rises vertically and retains its shape but with an ornate vertical pattern and some rather nice circular rings that complete the finish to the main body (which tapers outwards again) before it tapers yet again to a much smaller offset top. The top of the bollard rises to a point and in my opinion makes this beautiful piece of street furniture look like a model of a future tall building for the City of London. Think about it we have the Gherkin, the Shard why not the Bollard ?

Taking a look at our final picture (above) of an above elevation of the bollard top I must say the bare metal and slightly worn look with the offset top makes me want to rotate the upper tier and bring everything into alignment and who knows what may happen (if we were on the set of the Mummy Returns).

Bollards of London...

Peckham/East Dulwich Bollards (bollart)...

I just love the roots...

I took a fare in my taxi-cab to Peckham Rye last night and dropped the chap off at the beginning of Forest Hill Road which just happens to be a SE22 postcode and what did I find but a rather nice row of local shops and a matching row of terracotta coloured tall bollards. More to my amazement was on turning taxi-cab around and heading back to central London I noticed these beautiful, yes beautiful examples of painted bollards (bollart).

There I was singing the praises of the 'bollart' in Paris then Manchester and has luck would have it we have fine dandy looking examples here in South London.

Fine example of 'bollart'...

Simply South London...

Bollards (bollart) of London...

Sommers Town 1817...

Sommers Town 1817...

Welcome to Sommers Town or according to mapping Somers Town either way we have a superb set of bollards which happen to be just off Eversholt Street NW1.

These beautiful pieces of street furniture are cylindrical in shape and ridged/ribbed in three places with the central space marked clearly with the words/numbers 'Sommers Town 1817'. The picture (above) shows a bollard which has a top that is painted silver yet the picture (below) shows the same style/design of bollard that appears to be capped off with a small domed object.

The ward/district or shall we call it area of Sommers Town is a residential part of London that sits between Euston and St Pancras Stations and part of the London Borough of Camden.

Different bollard top...

Sommers Town 1817...

Fried Egg Bollart...

Back to our #guestbollard feature (picture above) and for the second time this week I'm featuring some 'bollart' in Manchester that was created by @mcmoondog on the @twitter and he's adorned these two concrete bollards with a fried egg pattern. Please do admire the stick of rock @mcmoondog has created over at Bollards of Britain which certainly livened up a rather dull piece of Manchester street furniture.

Bollards of London (Manchester)...