"The Golden Axe", St. Mary Axe, ca.1883

From: Henry Dixon & Son

RA Collection: Art

"This overhanging gabled house, of a kind fast becoming very rare in London, was destroyed in the course of the last year."

The above description, by Alfred Marks, was taken from the letterpress which accompanies the photographs. St Mary Axe is a street running from Lime Street into Camomile Street in the City of London. According to Thornbury, the name 'St Mary Axe' came from a shop which had a sign of an axe, though the church of St Mary no longer exists. Today St Mary Axe is known as the site of 30 St Mary Axe, designed by Sir Norman Foster R.A.