Thursday 2 July 2015

Green Park SW1

I suspect that most of the tourists heading towards Buckingham Palace from Green Park station assume that the Diana fountain is a memorial to the notorious princess of the same name, but in fact she was created in 1954 by Estcourt "Jim" Clack.
Known as Diana of the Treetops, the goddess of the hunt and the forest is depicted spurring her greyhound off to a mark, the dog's leash swinging round in her hand. It is a figure full of energy, spinning as the dog springs away.
The statue was originally placed in the middle of the park where no-one ever passed, so in 2011 she was moved to her current location as part of the rebuilding of the tube station. At the same time she was restored and the flowers she stands on gilded to exotic effect.
The granite fountains beneath include a ground level drinking fountain for dogs, a considerate touch.
Jim Clack's only other work in London is the Dickens memorial plaque in Marylebone Road.

3 comments:

Hels said...

I could not think of two personalities less alike: Diana of the Treetops, the goddess of the hunt Vs Dickens. He must be a flexible sculptor :)

The Duke of Waltham said...

The gilded flowers (not lilies, are they?) do stand out beautifully. The exotic effect of the sculptor's name, however, has been compromised by the force of normality, and Estcourt James Clack was turned into yet another Clark...

Chris Partridge said...

Why, Demnition, Sir!
Thanks for pointing that out. Corrected.