Mercury on Globe House, 4 Temple Place, Victoria Embankment, London

When exploring the original old "City of London", Mercury shows up in many places. Mercury is a major Roman god. He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence (and thus poetry), messages/communication (including divination), travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves. Therefore he makes for the perfect symbol of the old "City of London".

The bronze figures were sculpted by Sir Charles Wheeler for a previous building on this site – Electra House – built in 1933 as the HQ for Imperial and International Communications. The building had another secret purpose. Secret links were laid to the Central Telegraph Exchange in Moorgate which enabled the telephone lines of every foreign embassy in London to be monitored. Electra House was extensively damaged in WWII and a new building at 4 Temple Place was built and renamed Globe House.