Gargoyles

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The famous clock tower of St John the Divine is over 200 feet (61m) high and towers majestically over the Kennington area. Designed by architect G.E. Street, the tower was completed in 1888, and was decorated with rows of stone gargoyles and grotesques.

Towards the end of the 20th Century, erosion and environmental pollution had eroded the stonework badly, and a project began to restore the tower to its former glory. It was agreed with English Heritage that the gargoyles could be redesigned, and this turned into a novel fundaising idea: contributors could "adopt" a gargoyle, and in return have a gargoyle carved in their own likeness!

The project was completed in 1994, and the redesigned gargoyles included members of the church congregation, members of the Royal Family, and benefactors to the church, as well as the original four Apostles.

      

It is, of course, not normally possible to view the gargoyles easily from the ground, but during restoration, the gargoyles were photographed in the stonemasons' workshop and from the scaffolding work. You can view an interactive guide to the gargoyles and see up-close the creative skill that has gone into carving the portait garoyles and saving the spire for future generations.

Just what is a gargoyle?

The word "gargoyle" comes from French "gargouille", which means "throat" or "pipe". Technically, the word "gargoyle" only refers to carved spouts which carry rain water off a roof, and other carved figures should really be called "grotesques", but we commonly refer to them as gargoyles also.

The gargoyle has been used on buildings since ancient Greece, but was widely used by medieval stonemasons building churches and cathedrals in the 11th-13th Centuries and later.

   

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