Xmas 1892 Snow Royal Exchange City London Watercolour

Description:
An excellent London townscape watercolour on artist's paper, signed Abbott and dating circa 1920.

Framed - approx 12 X 9 inches (30.48 X 22.86cm).

This is an excellent English Traditional watercolour dating from the 1920s.
The townscape depicts one of a series of beautifully captured nostalgic London street scenes - The Royal Exchange in the City of London circa 1892. The snow covered London Street scene shows Londoners about their daily business dressed in heavy Edwardian winter clothing as pedestrians and passengers on open horse drawn omnibus. In the center of the square and near is a statue of the Duke of Wellington, "cast from the metal of guns taken from the French in those old fighting days when the Duke was in his prime". This is the third of the Royal Exchange buildings on the site adhering to the original layout - consisting of a four-sided structure surrounding a central courtyard where merchants and tradesmen could do business. This building was designed by Sir William Tite, features pediment sculptures by Richard Westmacott (the younger), and was opened by Queen Victoria on October 28, 1844, though trading did not commence until January 1, 1845. The Royal Exchange ceased to act as a centre of commerce in 1939, although it was for a few years in the 1980s, home to the London International Financial Futures Exchange, LIFFE. It is now a luxurious shopping centre including Hermès, Molton Brown, Paul Smith, Haines & Bonner, Tiffany and Jo Malone. During the 17th century, stockbrokers were not allowed in the Royal Exchange due to their rude manners, hence they had to operate from other establishments in the vicinity, like Jonathan's Coffee-House.
The work is signed Abbott lower left.