A London Bestiary

Four sea-lions entwine themselves against a red brick wall, a plasterwork bat props up an empty pediment, while Landseer’s famous lions guard Nelson’s column.

London displays a veritable menagerie of animals: some attached to famous landmarks, others perched in all but invisible gravity-defying positions, with many testifying to the heraldic symbolism that adorns our civic spaces.

Photographer Ianthe Ruthven has beautifully captured the creatures of the city in an exhibition that pays tribute to the imagination and humour of generations of architects and sculptors. Some may be familiar, others completely unknown.