Sculpture in the City walk

Walk around an annual summer exhibition of contemporary sculpture in the confines of the City of London (financial district).

Leadenhall Market SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Leadenhall Market

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Aug-16 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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Ugo Rondinone - Summer Moon SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Ugo Rondinone - Summer Moon

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Jun-22 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 banner 52167274351

Jesse Pollock - The Granary SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Jesse Pollock - The Granary

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Jun-22 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 banner 52167758145

Damien Hirst - Temple SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Damien Hirst - Temple

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Jun-17 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 walkicon 35611879775

Thomas J Price - Numen (Shifting Votive Three), and a Sponsor's building... SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Thomas J Price - Numen (Shifting Votive Three), and a Sponsor's building...

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Aug-18 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 walkicon 44021892641

Reza Aramesh - Site of the Fall - study of the renaissance garden: Action 180: At 9:15 am Sunday 28 May 1967 SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Reza Aramesh - Site of the Fall - study of the renaissance garden: Action 180: At 9:15 am Sunday 28 May 1967

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Jul-19 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 walkicon 48357616951

Jyll Bradley - Dutch/Light (for Agneta Block) SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City
Jyll Bradley - Dutch/Light (for Agneta Block)

SWC Walk Short 24 - Sculpture in the City

Jul-19 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

swcwalks short24 walkicon 48357615861

Start Liverpool Street Mainline Station, Liverpool Street Exit, Street Level, Kindertransport Memorial
Finish Leadenhall Market
Length

2.8 km.

Time 1 hour.
Travel Liverpool Street, Bank/Monument, Aldgate/Aldgate East, Tower Hill and London Bridge tube stations are just a short walk away from Leadenhall Market, as are Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street and London Bridge mainline stations. All are in Zone 1
Walk Notes

The critically acclaimed Sculpture in the City is an annual exhibition showcasing contemporary works by internationally renowned artists in the confines of the City of London, on streets, in squares or on buildings. The exhibition usually opens around end June, and most sculptures are displayed until the following May.

2023/24 sees the twelfth incarnation of this popular attraction, displaying 24 artworks by 17 artists ranging considerably in scale – from large steel-, neon- or fabric-works to small bronze plaques, thoughtfully placed between iconic architectural landmarks such as the Gherkin (30 St. Mary Axe), the Walkie-Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street), the Lloyd’s-Building (aka the Inside-Out Building, at 12 Leadenhall Street), the Scalpel (Lime Street) and the Cheesegrater (the Leadenhall Building). Wander the City's public spaces and stumble upon world-class public art, on an urban canvas recognised across the globe.

For more information on the exhibition, individual artworks and a map click here.
A printed booklet with a map, photos of – and information on – the art works can be picked up from early July at the City Information Centre, located between St Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.

For a recommended route, as shown on the map on the ‘OS map’-tab above and on the gpx file, please follow below directions. The route finishes at Leadenhall Market in the heart of the City, with its multitude of refreshment options. From there, Liverpool Street, Bank/Monument, Aldgate/Aldgate East, Tower Hill and London Bridge tube stations are just a short walk away, as are Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street mainline stations.

Eat

Leadenhall Market features about 20 pubs, cafes, delis, bars, brasseries and restaurants. For more details click here.

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You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

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By Car

Start EC2M 7PP Map Directions

Finish Leadenhall Market (near Monument tube) Map Directions

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Help

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Version

Aug-23 Thomas G

Copyright © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml

Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone. OpenStreetMap (not OS) mapping is used in the PDF for licence reasons.

  1. [Numbers in brackets] indicate the sites of the artworks, with the numbers matching those on the website linked above and in the printed booklet.
  2. Meet outside Liverpool Street Mainline Station, in Liverpool Street by the Kindertransport Memorial at street level (i.e.: not by the one on the concourse level).
  3. With the station in your back, turn left along Liverpool Street. In 100m turn right at a T-junction with Bishopsgate.
  4. In 50m at the far corner of St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate church turn right along a broad paved path into its former churchyard to an overview panel of the Sculpture in the City route 40m away and artwork [01] to the right on a grassy area.
  5. Turn back to Bishopsgate and turn right along its pavement. In 30m cross Wormwood Street at a set of lights and on the opposite corner of the four-way junction, you find [02].
  6. Continue along Bishopsgate and in 60m find [03] up in a tree in a corner. Continue along the pavement and in 50m turn left to cross the road at a set of lights.
  7. [!] Turn left along the road, and in 90m turn right along a paved passage to the left of St. Ethelburga's Church and to the right of a new office tower.
  8. In 20m you pass a blue plaque on the right ("On this site until the mid-16th century stood the first hall of the Parish Clerks' Company") and in another 50m you reach a courtyard with [04] in its middle.
  9. Turn left along another passageway between office buildings and in 50m cross Camomile Street a little to the right at a set of lights.
  10. Continue a little to the left along Outwich Street and in 40m, where the road turns right and continues as Houndsditch, you bear left to cross it at a set of lights and turn right along its opposite pavement.
  11. In 25m turn left into Jubilee Gardens and find [06g] in the middle of the mini-park (consisting of a negative space and a commemorative plaque). Return to Houndsditch and turn left along it.
  12. In 60m turn right to cross the road at a set of lights and continue along a pedestrianised alleyway between high office buildings (St. Mary Axe).
  13. In 25m you pass [18] and in another 20m - at the corner of number 70 St. Mary Axe (the 'Can of Ham' building) and by the junction with Bevis Marks (street), you turn left along the road to find [17] further along the pavement.
  14. Continue along Bevis Marks and turn right into the next road along, Bury Street. In 40m turn right up some steps and enter a small courtyard (effectively the back entrance to an office building) where you find [06f].
  15. Turn left from the direction away from Bury Court, to the left of the glass-protected entrance to an underground car park, and go down some steps and continue bearing left to the left of the 'Gherkin' building (70 St. Mary Axe).
  16. You have Holland House away to the left along Bury Street and converge with the road. In 60m turn left with Bury Street and in 30m by the pedestrianised Cunard Place on the right, you have [16] 30m away to the right.
  17. You continue along the interesting looking ship-shaped prow of Holland House on your left (all the tiles on the facade of the house are from Delft) and in 30m turn left along Creechurch Lane (the former site of the first Synagogue, 1657-1701, after the resettlement, is on your right).
  18. In 50m you have [15] up on the wall on the left. Turn right between Creechurch House on the right and One Creechurch Place on the left.
  19. In 50m you emerge into a green courtyard, where away to the right you find [14] and [6e].
  20. Continue in the same direction, noting a blue plaque on a wall ahead ('Site of the Priory of the Holy Trinity founded 1108') and a corresponding info panel, to turn left along St. James's Passage past the former Sir John Cass's Foundation CoE Primary School, now The Aldgate School (the only school in the City of London).
  21. In 30m you emerge on Duke's Place, on the corner of Aldgate Square, the now traffic-freed former Aldgate roundabout, with a fountain and the Portsoken Pavilion 30m ahead (with the Aldgate Tap inside). Bear right to the right of the pavilion, passing [06d] on a bench en route.
  22. Head diagonally across the square to its far right end by St. Botolph-without-Aldgate Church, where you find [13].
  23. Turn right back on yourself along Aldgate (street) for 30m towards a set of lights across the street. There you find the London Wall Walk's plaque #5 on the right, and an interesting upright London Wall info panel with an illustration of the historic Aldgate.
  24. Cross the road at the lights and, on the far side of the crossing, notice the blue plaque for the Algate ('...demolished 1760') and turn right to cross Jewry Street and continue along Aldgate and then Fenchurch Street.
  25. In 150m you cross Lloyd's Avenue and in 30m, just before the historic East India Arms pub, turn left into the courtyard of 71 Fenchurch Street (may be locked out of hours) for a look at a ship-shaped fountain.
  26. Continue past the pub and in 20m turn left along Fenchurch Place towards Fenchurch Street station’s forecourt. [Here you get good partial views of 120 Fenchurch Street or One Fen Court away on the right-hand side. The building has an acclaimed design, with the top floors clad in dichroic glass (glass which causes visible light to be split up into distinct beams of different wavelengths/colours or - in architect-speak - is '...activated by daylight and the weather conditions...", making for "...a building of iridescence..."). This effect is best appreciated from further away and in daylight.]
  27. In 20m turn right onto a square and pass [6c] on the first seat along. Turn immediately right out of the square to continue along an alleyway (London Street) and re-gain Fenchurch Street in 40m.
  28. Cross the road at a set of lights and turn left along its opposite pavement. In 40m turn right into the undercroft of One Fen Court (a public passageway called Hogarth Court) and in 25m walk under a giant video screen showing [12] every second month from July 2023 onwards to May 2024, and a permanent artwork not part of SITC (The Call of Things - Vong Phaophanit & Claire Oboussier, 2018) during the other months.
  29. You pass the entrance to the much-lauded 'The Garden at 120' (free entry, but booking required) on the right and in 25m turn left along Fenchurch Avenue.
  30. In 30m pass Fen Court, a pedestrianised lane which contains both a permanent artwork ('The Guilt of Cain - Michael Visocchi and Lemn Sissay', see the info panel on the left) about the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade (an earlier St Mary Woolnoth church was close by, where the reverend John Newton delivered many anti-slavery sermons), and [06b] amongst the benches and seats on the right.
  31. Continue along Fenchurch Avenue towards the Lloyd's Building and in 50m turn right along Lime Street. In 90m cross Leadenhall Street at a set of lights and bear right to continue to the right of a landscaped area (St. Helen's Piazza) along St. Mary Axe (road) to the left of St. Andrew Undershaft Church.
  32. In 100m, by the 'Gherkin' on the right, you turn left along Undershaft (road), with a fine facade on the right made of glazed red bricks. In 50m you find [07] on the right and, 20m further along, [06a].
  33. For an out-and-back to [05], bear right into the (paved) yard in front of St. Helen's. The artwork stands 20m away.
  34. Turn left from [06a], along the Hiscox Building and find [08] 40m away on the pavement. Turn left towards the AVIVA Building and in 30m find [09].
  35. Turn right in the direction of the 'Cheesegrater' Building and in 20m turn right along the 'Cheesegrater', leaving the AVIVA building behind.
  36. In 20m turn left through an archway under the ‘Cheesegrater’ (i.e.: the Leadenhall Building) and continue until you are standing beneath its escalators. [11] is a work on the underside of the escalators. Turn right towards the far end of the undercroft to find [10], a neon work up in the steel girders.
  37. Turn left towards Leadenhall Street 40m away, opposite the Lloyd's Building, with the 'Scalpel' building away to the left. Turn right along the road.
  38. The coloured ventilation shafts ('Trumpets') are a permanent artwork. The maypole away on the right is a replica of one that stood next to the original St. Andrew's church away on the left, and is what gave the church and subsequently the street its name, as it overtopped the church: (St. Andrew) Undershaft.
  39. In 50m turn left along a path between buildings towards the central crosspaths in Leadenhall Market 60m away.
© Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml