The Caryatides of Rotherhithe Old Town Hall

The two stone figures standing in Southwark Park are known as the Rotherhithe Caryatids. A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural pillar, and these specific examples were carved in eighteen ninety-seven by the artist Henry Poole. They originally guarded the entrance to the Rotherhithe Town Hall, where they supported a balcony on their heads. Each statue features a ship's prow atop her head, a deliberate design choice to represent the maritime industry that defined the history of Rotherhithe. Their clothing is also symbolic. One figure wears a garland of oak leaves, representing strength and longevity, while the other wears laurel, a token of triumph and fame. These statues survived the total destruction of their original home. During the Second World War, the Rotherhithe Town Hall was hit by bombs on six different occasions and was eventually demolished. The caryatids were salvaged from the ruins and spent decades in exile, first at the brutalist Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle starting in nineteen seventy-four. When that estate was later cleared for redevelopment, the figures were rescued once more and installed in their current home in Southwark Park. The figures have required significant care to survive their tumultuous journey. In recent years, one of the statues lost her arms, requiring a careful restoration process that involved modeling new limbs in wax before they were recreated in stone by modern stonemasons. This ongoing maintenance ensures that these Victorian survivors remain visible today, serving as a rare, tangible link to the civic architecture of late nineteenth-century London.