(Above) Prospect of the City from the North, by the English School, shows the Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman London's Ampitheatre from St Paul's Cathedral in the early 18th century. Image © Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman London's Ampitheatre
Exhibitions: London’s Water: 400 Years of the New River and The Story of Smithfield Market, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, until March 2011
The two new temporary exhibitions at the London Guildhall Art gallery tell the stories of two very different features of London through an exquisite and varied collection of artwork.
As you enter the lower galleries on your left you find the story of London’s New River, diverted from the River Lea in the 17th century to provide London with fresh water. To the right is the story of the historic Smithfield market, which is still a thriving market today. These exhibitions tell fascinating stories and give an insight into how London has evolved through the ages.
The New River was an idea conceived through necessity – as London’s population grew, the water drawn from the Thames was becoming even more contaminated. The story of the New River is not only about the growth of London and the engineering developments that maintained this growth, but also how the landscape of London has changed.
The oil painting, Prospect of the City From the North, shows the reservoir created in North London which became a recreational spot, with the newly constructed St Paul’s Cathedral in the background.
There is also an almost Venetian view of London called Entrance to Fleet River showing the Fleet River, which was built over and now survives under a sewer in central London.
The Story of Smithfield Market also uses many works of art to tell its tale, from comical engravings of the raucous activities at the annual Bartholomew Fair to the detailed work of William Henry Davis, the appointed animal painter to Queen Victoria.
His work, The Metropolitan Cattle Market, marked the move of the live cattle market from Smithfield to Islington in 1855.
The show also includes more modern pieces from Jacqueline Stanley and Hubert Andrew Freeth, showing Smithfield at work in the 20th century. Rebuilt after the Second World War, this iconic market still trades, with 120,000 tons of produce passing through the market every year.
Both these exhibitions bring their aspects of London’s history to life through a good balance of text and artwork, giving the Guildhall an opportunity to display and contextualise some of their intriguing acquisitions along the way. They are definitely stories worth telling.
Open 10am – 5pm (12pm – 4pm Sunday, closed September 7, 25 and 26 and November 15). Admission free, gallery tours of the permanent collection take place hourly between 12.15pm – 3.15pm every Friday.
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