The dragon boundary marks are

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

statues of

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

s (sometimes mistaken for

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

s) on metal or stone plinths that mark the boundaries of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. The dragons are painted silver, with details of their wings and tongue picked out in red. The dragon stands on its left rear leg, with the right rear leg lifted forward to support a shield, with the right foreleg raised and the left foreleg holding the top of the shield. The shield bears the City of London's coat of arms painted in red and white: the red cross of Saint George on a white background, with a red sword in the first quarter, an attribute of

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. Saint George and Saint Paul are respectively the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

s of England and of London. The dragon's stance is the equivalent of the rampant heraldic attitude of the

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

of the City's arms, which may allude to the legend of

Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianity—defeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a huma ...

Design

The design is based on two large dragon sculptures, high, which were mounted above the entrance to the Coal Exchange on Lower Thames Street, designed by the City Architect, J. B. Bunning, and made by the London founder Dewer in 1849. The dragons were originally painted in a stone colour to match the building. They were preserved when the Coal Exchange was demolished in 1962–63. The two original statues were re-erected on high plinths of Portland stone at the western boundary of the City, by Temple Gardens on Victoria Embankment, in October 1963. The

Corporation of London The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's fi ...

's Streets Committee selected the statues as the model for boundary markers for the city in 1964, in preference to the fiercer dragon by C. B. Birch at Temple Bar on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

. Half-size replicas of the original pair of dragons were made by Birmingham Guild Limited and erected at main entrances to the City of London in the late 1960s.

Locations

There are now fourteen dragons around the City of London. In addition to the Birch dragon at Temple Bar, and the two original Coal Exchange statues on Victoria Embankment, there are two replicas of the Coal Exchange design at the south end of

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

, two on

High Holborn High Holborn ( ) is a street in Holborn and Farringdon Without, Central London, which forms a part of the A40 route from London to Fishguard. It starts in the west at the eastern end of St Giles High Street and runs past the Kingsway and ...

near Gray's Inn Road, and single replicas on Aldgate High Street, Norton Folgate (north of

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

), Byward Street, Moorgate, Goswell Road (north of Aldersgate Street), Farringdon Street, and at the south end of Blackfriars Bridge. The two original Coal Exchange dragons and their stone plinths on Victoria Embankment became Grade II listed buildings in 1972. The dragons to either side of High Holborn were mounted on granite obelisks which originally supported lanterns; these 19th-century obelisks were also listed in 1972.Obelisk marking city boundary on north side of roadway, High Holborn
National Heritage List for England, Historic England Outside London, there is also a replica at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where the 19th-century

was reconstructed in 1971.

Gallery

File:Victoria Embankment. City of London Boundary Dragon. Western Boundary. South Side. J.B. Bunning 1849. - 52253498596.jpg, The two original 1849 statues from the Coal Exchange File:City_of_London_marker,_High_Holborn_WC2_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1318996.jpg, Smaller replica version on

, 1960s File:Scary dragon on the Temple Bar Memorial, Fleet Street, EC4 (geograph 3453077).jpg, Dragon at Temple Bar, to a different design by C. B. Birch, 1880 File:London Bridge, Lake Havasu City (6630236349).jpg, Example in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

References

Sources

* {{Public art in London, other works Outdoor sculptures in London Buildings and structures in the City of London Iron sculptures in the United Kingdom 1849 sculptures Sculptures of dragons Victoria Embankment Cast-iron sculptures