No. 747: Temple Place, WC2
Temple Place, London, WC2. Photo © Roger Dean 2012
Picturesque London – Percy Fitzgerald, 1890:
The old railings in front of St. Paul’s were sold to some one in America.
[ Prior to the death of Prince Albert in 1861 most of London’s railings were painted in “invisable greens” so called because they disappeared into the foliage of the gardens they surrounded. After Albert’s death the whole of London was plunged into mourning and virtually any painted surface was repainted black including the railings. This then became the accepted norm and remains the colour of choice for most of the city’s railings to this day. R.D.]
lovely pictures: nice shadow-play.
Railings surrounding the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich are painted green – colour scheme reinstated as it pre-dates Albert – and incidentally looks much nicer than the more harsh black.