Friday 1 January 2010

80 Fetter Lane, EC4

The firm of Treadwell and Martin was one of those Division Two architects who never got the chance to build anything really big, but who nevertheless made a substantial contribution to London's streetscape with a large number of offices and pubs that always entertain.
At 80 Fetter Lane, built as part of Buchanan's Distillery, the firm adopted a rather jolly Dutch style with Art Nouveau leanings, very appropriate for gin. It was built in 1902 and Treadwell and Martin brought in their favourite architectural carvers, Daymond & Son, to produce a load of leafy volutes and, right at the top, a pair of stylish caryatids telemones or atlantes holding up a pediment with a shell. The caryatids telemones are perched uncomfortably on top of very narrow attached columns. Also they are very young for telemones, which are usually heavily bearded because they represent Atlas holding up the Earth.

2 comments:

Capability Bowes said...

Caryatids are female. I think the term you are looking for is Telamon.

Chris Partridge said...

Well spotted Russell - and quick too!
Pevsner says caryatids so 'Baldy' has got it wrong too....