London The Proud City, St Clements – Spradbery – 1944

London The Proud City poster, St Clements – Spradbery – 1944

In the mid-1940’s and towards the end of World War II the London Passenger Transport Board commissioned the artist Walter E, Spradbery to create a series of six posters under the heading – The Proud City. Despite most of the images featuring images of buildings and areas bombed by the Germans, Spradbery created images that invoked ‘The British Spirit’and pride of the nation. This  The Proud City poster features a painting of The Noble Fabric of the Church of St Clement Danes on the Strand. It shows the surviving church spire rising above the city ruins.  Beneath the image is an extract from John Gay’s poem ‘Of Walking the Streets by Night’ “Where the fair columns of St Clement stand Whose straiten’d bounds encroach upon the Strand”  The first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes. However, the church in this Proud City poster was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1682. As Spradbery’s image shows, Wren’s building was burned down and gutted during the Blitz. The church was restored in 1958 and functions as the central church of the Royal Air Force.

St Clement Danes is one of two churches that claim to be the one named in the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’ and the bells do play that tune. The other church with the claim is St Clement’s Eastcheap.

Original copies of this poster at the time of listing (2019) sell for over £1200.

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.

The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.