© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Many of the sculptures in London provide some insight into the history of the capital, even modern pieces of art often pay tribute to the past. An illustration of this point is the six bronze horse sculptures by Hamish Mackie in Goodman’s Fields near Aldgate.
© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Goodman’s Field has a fascinating history, famous London historian, John Stow provides some insight of the area in his Survey of London which was published in 1598.
Near adjoining to this abbey, on the south side thereof, was sometime a farm belonging to the said nunnery; at the which farm I myself in my youth have fetched many a halfpenny worth of milk, and never had less than three ale pints for a halfpenny in the summer, nor less than one ale quart for a halfpenny in the winter, always hot from the kine, as the same was milked and strained. One Trolop, and afterwards Goodman, were the farmers there, and had thirty or forty kine to the pail. Goodman’s son being heir to his father’s purchase, let out the ground first for grazing of horses, and then for garden-plots, and lived like a gentleman thereby.
© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
It is this history that was the inspiration for Goodman’s Fields Horses, the artist wanted to portray the unbridled joy of horses being released from the toil of working in the London streets.
© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Mackie chose six breeds of horse to illustrate the variety of horses from the past – Andalusian Stallion, Russian Cross Arab, European Warmblood, Irish Cob, Thoroughbred Cross Shire and Thoroughbred.
© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
The sculpture was unveiled in 2015 and quickly became a popular local attraction. In 2016, Hamish Mackie was awarded the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association’s Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Fountains for the Goodman’s Fields Horses commission.
© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean
Although it is not on the usual tourist paths, if you are visiting the City of London it is worth taking a small detour to Aldgate to see this stunning sculpture and find out about some of the history of Goodman’s Field.
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