The ancient City of London is protected by dragons that guard the main roads into the city from perfidious invaders. They look ancient, yet the dragons around London are fairly new, albeit based on something that can trace its origins back to the Great Fire of London.

These are the Dragon Boundary Marks, the City of London’s own variant of the road signs you see as you approach small towns such as Dunny-on-the-Wold, usually with a note underneath to drive carefully. Being the City though, no mere utilitarian signs, but dragons!

There are two designs for the dragons — one example can be found on Fleet Street, and while it looks grander and older, the design that’s come to dominate is, in fact, an older one.

The common design is based on two huge dragons that once stood above the entrance to the Coal Exchange. The trade in coal in London was hugely important, not just because it fueled the city, but thanks to taxes that were introduced after the Great Fire of London, it’s funded a lot of London building works.

Much like the City boundary dragons, there are also Coal Posts that encircle the old boundary for the coal tax, and many examples still exist dotted around Greater London. To help manage the trade in coal, in 1847 a grand building was constructed near the Tower of London, and high above the main entrance, two plinths held two large cast-iron dragons.

The dragons designed by the City Architect, J. B. Bunning, and made by London foundry, Dewer, in 1849.

The building no longer exists sadly, having been torn down in 1962 despite howls of protest to save it — and a very bland office block erected on the site. While the Victorian building was demolished, the Roman remains in the basement were fortunately saved, and are now open for tours.

The other thing saved though were the two dragons, and the following year they were moved to Embankment and erected as boundary marks for the City. The date was a convenience, as the government was redrawing local government boundaries in 1963, so the City decided to mark its boundaries in physical form.

Over the next few years a number of half-size replica dragons were erected around the City, and they’re still there in varying states of repair.

The dragons are all painted silver, with details of their wings and tongue picked out in red. The dragon stands on one rear leg, the other lifted against a shield, with the right foreleg raised and the left foreleg holding a shield which bears the City of London’s coat of arms, painted in red and white. The stance is the equivalent of the rampant heraldic attitude of the supporters of the City’s arms.

There is an odd rumour that they are griffins, but they are officially Dragon Supporters — in that they are a) dragons, and b) supporting the shield. The sword in the crest is the badge of the Patron Saint of the City of London, St Paul.

Based at the edge of the city after it expanded to include its first road, the dragon sits by a row of flats above shops that have the curious attempt to look Tudor – while being made from concrete.

(text credit)