South of the River

'South of the River' is a pair of sculptures created by Bernard Schottlander between 1975 and 1976. The sculptures are made of cast stainless steel and are supported by stainless steel projecting legs and a central base, which are set into concrete paving slabs.

The sculptures represent a pair of Fulani earrings, featuring twisted designs and sweeping curves. They are positioned closely together on a 6-meter wide rectangular paved area, which is surrounded by a grass lawn on a rectangular garden terrace in front of Becket House, a 1974 office block. Each sculpture stands 4.8 meters tall and is identical in size and form, though they differ in their orientation. The central curves of the sculptures face west and east, while the larger curves, approximately 3 meters wide, face each other.

In front of the sculptures, on the north-west corner of the lawn, there is a raked block made of polished granite that matches the color of the building façade and the low surrounding wall. Two steel plaques are affixed to this block, inscribed in black capital letters. Both the north face, which faces the road, and the west face read:

"SOUTH OF THE RIVER"/ BY BERNARD SCHOTTLANDER - 1976/ BORN MAINZ GERMANY 1924 - CAST BY BRITISH STEEL.

Additionally, a metal plaque is attached to the inner face of the stainless steel leg of the western-most sculpture, which states:

DISTILLERY, BREWERY & CHEMICAL ENGINEERS/ JOHN DORE & CO.LTD/ STAINLESS STEEL FABRICATORS & COPPERSMITHS/ FOWLER ROAD, HAINAULT, ILFORD, ESSEX, ENGLAND/ 14 MARCH 1976.