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Ernest George’s London Etchings

April 18, 2023
by the gentle author

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Aldgate

Stefan Dickers, Archivist at Bishopsgate Institute, introduced me to these fine copper plate etchings by Ernest George (1839-1922). In the eighteen-eighties, George set out to immortalise those fragments of London which spoke of times gone by and Londoners long dead, recording buildings and views which have for the most part now disappeared.

I realise that my affection for these images sets me in line with the generations of chroniclers who have made it their business to document the transience of the city, starting with John Stow who wrote the very first Survey of London between 1560 and 1598 to describe the streets of his childhood that were vanishing before his eyes.

Ernest George’s etchings were published by the Fine Art Society in New Bond St in 1884, a magnificent temple of culture designed by Edward William Godwin which survived through the twentieth century only to close in August 2018.

Bishopsgate

Wych St, Strand

Fouberts Place, Soho

Crown Court, Pall Mall

St Bartholomew, Smithfield

Warwick Lane, City

Tower of London

London Bridge

Staple Inn, Holborn

Drury Lane

St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell

Limehouse

Shadwell

Images courtesy Bishopsgate Institute

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Peta Bridle’s London Etchings

4 Responses leave one →
  1. Julie Cruickshank permalink
    April 18, 2023

    Wonderful images of a lost London

  2. April 18, 2023

    Interesting to have visited many of these places featured fairly recently. It certainly helps to visualise them in the nineteenth century. These etchings are exquisitely detailed. Thanks GA

  3. Sonia Murray permalink
    April 18, 2023

    Wonderful etchings! Thank you, GA. I hope prints are available from the Bishopsgate institute. What a draw for tourists these ancient streets would be if they had not been demolished in the name of progress!

  4. April 18, 2023

    These are truly wonderful etchings, capturing the atmosphere of each place …. and the busy, bustling Londoners going about their daily chores.
    Thank you for sharing these GA and thank goodness for people like Ernest George and John Stow for preserving these images for future generations to see.

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