Manual Ref* NFnrNOR148 Show 2 images 86
Title*

Symbol of Norwich - London Street
County Norfolk   District Council Norwich City Council 
Civil Parish or equivalent Norwich City Council  Town/Village* Norwich 
Road London Street 
Precise Location 68 London Street, joining Redwell Street 
OS Grid Ref TG232087  Postcode NR2 
Previous location(s) The original building was Abbey National (now a bookmakers) 
Setting Pedestrian shopping precinct. The mural is set into the architectural design of the shop front  Access Public 
Artist/Maker Role Qualifier
Tadeusz Zielinski  Sculptor(s)   

Commissioned by

 Abbey National Building Society 68 London Street, Norwich 

Design & Constrn period

 1974 

Date of installing

 1970s 

Exact date of unveiling

  

Category
Abstract Animal Architectural
Commercial Commemorative Composite
Free Functional Funerary
Heraldic Military Natural
Non-Commemorative Performance Portable
Religious Roadside, Wayside Sculptural
Temporary, Mobile Other  

Object Type
Building Clock Tower Architectural
Coat of Arms Cross Fountain
Landscape Marker Medallion
Mural Panel Readymade
Relief Shaft Sculpture
Statue Street Furniture War Memorial
Other Object Sub Type:

Subject Type
Allegorical Mythological Pictorial
Figurative Non-figurative Portrait
Still-life Symbolic Other

Subject Sub Type
Bust Equestrian Full-length
Group Head Reclining
Seated Standing Torso
Part Material Dimension
20 x Panels (varying sizes)  Synthetic bronze   

Work is
Extant Not Sited Lost

Owner/Custodian

 Ladbrookes 

Listing status
Grade I Grade II* Grade II Don't Know Not Listed

Surface Condition
Corrosion, Deterioration Accretions
Bird Guano Abrasions, cracks, splits
Biological growth Spalling, crumbling
Metallic staining Previous treatments
Other  
Detail:

Structural Condition
Armature exposed Broken or missing parts
Replaced parts Loose elements
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes Spalling, crumbling
Water collection Other
Detail: Armature and securing bolts can be seen in places between the panels, but this may not be due to wear and tear

Vandalism
Graffiti Structural damage Surface Damage
Detail:

Overall condition
Good Fair Poor

Risk
No Known Risk At Risk Immediate
Signatures/Marks SCULPTOR T.A.ZIELINSKI LONDON 1974 
Inscriptions  

Description (physical)

 Composite relief in 20 panels cast in synthetic bronze shaped in a curve around the corner of the building 

Description (iconographical)

 Depicts a family sheltering under the tiled roof of a house, symbolizing the home ownership building societies facilitate for their members. Norwich's city walls frame the composition; the familiar landmark of Norwich Cathedral is prominent, along with the suggestion of city streets. The abstract style is particularly schematic in the representation of the figures' heads, which might be interpreted as representing fear or a haunted look, after Herbert Read's style term 'geometry of fear' (introduced 1952). This is probably a misinterpretation, however, and the work as a whole is likely to be more in the optimistic spirit of the Festival of Britain (1951) that the artist would have encountered on first arriving in Britain. 

Photographs

 Date taken:  26/4/2006
Date logged:  5/5/2006

Photographed by:
D Hulks

On Site Inspection

 Date:  26/4/2006

Inspected by:
D Hulks

Sources and References

 Krzysztof Fijalkowski & Rachel Fijalkowski (1999) Open Secrets: Unexpected Art in Norwich (pamphlet produced as part of Norfolk Visual Arts Festival) Herbert Read (1952) 'New Aspects of British Art', in British Pavilion, Venice (exh. cat.) Tadeusz Zieliński (1985) Information supplied by the artist to the PMSA Artist Biographies for the Public Sculptures in Britain series, Liverpool University Press 

Database

 Date entered:  4/5/2006

Data inputter:
D Hulks