London, England, UK

Demolished 1961

The Disappointed Tourist: Euston Arch Ellen Harvey, 2021. Oil and acrylic on Gessoboard, 18 x 24″ (46 x 61 cm). Photograph: Etienne Frossard.

The Euston Arch was a Doric propylaeum (traditionally the entrance structure for a Greek temple) built in 1837, designed by the architect Philip Hardwick to function as an entrance to what was then the Birmingham Curzon Street Station. The words “EUSTON” were added in 1870. The Arch was demolished in 1961 in connection with the rebuilding of Euston Station, despite efforts by architects and preservationists to prevent its destruction. In 1994, the location of much of the stone from the arch was found buried in the Prescott Channel in the East End of London and historian Dan Cruickshank launched the Euston Arch Trust dedicated to rebuilding the arch. The painting is based on a photograph from the 1890s on Wikipedia.

A gate based on a ruin, ruined in its turn. Anon.