Join us here to explore Claude de Jonghe’s painting “Old London Bridge”.
First work through the PowerPoint. If you can, discuss the questions and tasks with someone else that would be great: brother, sisters, parents. If not, just read through the PPT and make some notes.
Share your ideas below. Also share your persuasive writing. You can also share art. I’ll share more information about the painting as the week goes on so come back everyday.
BK 952
These paintings are on display at Kenwood House in Hampstead, London.
To book your free visit to site, click here
The painting is a typical 1600’s London scene, and the reflection is my favourite part. I always like to see water in pictures, along with deep colours. If you ignore the water, it almost gives an impression of as if the buildings and boats are flying! I really like this painting because of its amazing water reflections.
Hi Ayaan,
Yes the reflection is stunning. Did you notice the heads on spikes? Or could you spot the two theatres in the painting?
hi
Hi Sophie. It’s good to have your here. We look forward to reading your thoughts on the poems, films and art.
It is very old and is probably showing what it might of looked like back then.
Hi Aarav,
Yes the painting dates from the 1600s. How has London changed since then?
It looks like it has been hit with a bomb or something has hit it
Hi Abbie,
Which part of the painting looks like it’s been hit by a bomb?
yes I agree completly
The view is amazing and the reflection is beautiful
Hi Joel, I’m glad you like the painting. I wonder if you’d like to try to sketch your own drawing or painting using reflections. There are some guides towards the end of the PowerPoint.
I would like to ask what it would have felt like to be more wealthy and high up in the line than most of London
Interesting question Jimmy. How do you think a rich person’s life would be different to a poor person at that time?
What inspired him to paint it?
Hi Luigi,
The painter Claude de Jongh visited London from the Netherlands (Holland) and painted a sketch of Old London Bridge.
I really like this painting its nice ad neat and I can tell that it was made in the 1600s
Thank you Curtis. How do you know it was painted in the 1600s? What can you see that was different at that time compared to today?
Why are the houses on the bridge spaced out so much 🙂
Hi Ella,
The houses were actually very close together for a bridge. As you know you don’t normally see houses on the bridge. By 1358 there was already 138 shops on the bridge. The houses on the bridge made it very difficult to cross on foot or by horse and cart. They were also a fire hazard. In 1212 there houses caught fire at both ends of the bridge and people were trapped in the middle.
What was life like back in the 1600s in London?
Hi Jessica,
This video was created to show what life was like in the 1600s before the fire of London.
Was this around the time that the fire of London happened?
Hi Charlotte,
The painting was before the fire of London but you can see why it spread so quickly with so many wooden houses.
I really like the Painting, i can see how the wealthy and the poor were separated. I know that the rich were on the left side of the painting because the houses were much bigger and some were made out of stone and the poor were on the right side of the painting because their houses were much smaller and it was made out of wood
Hi Jerome,
I’m glad you like the painting. Can you see the heads on the spikes on the bridge or the two flags on he right hand side where the theatres were.
they’re really amazing
What do you like about the painting Sonny?
theyre absolutely amazing
Which is your favourite? “Old London Bridge” or “Hawking in the Olden Times”? and why?
old London bridge as it has lots of story behind it and I love places that tell storys
I hope everyone has watched the video of London before the fire. It’s fantastic and I think it really creates the atmosphere of the old city. What do you think of it?
Your comments so far are great and I hope you are enjoying the project.
Lesley
Was London a port city back in the 1600’s ? Because i can only see two boats .
Hi Michael,
Yes London was developed because of the Thames so goods could be shipped in. Also London built a lot of ships at the time.
See: http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.38/The-Tudor-and-Stuart-port.html
why do old houses have stripes on them
I think that’s the wooden beams you’re referring to.
Oh yes thank you Mr Walsh
What was life like in the 1600’s
Hi Adam,
I posted a video in the blog. Take a look.
Strange on why there is houses on an unstable bridge
The bridge was stable Zenas but the houses sprung up over time. If we build a house today we need planning permission whereas in the 1600s buildings would appear on the bridge which made it difficult to travel over.
I find myself appreciating the detail in this art piece, which goes down to the finer things that you only see when you look closer. What I found particularly noteworthy is that the piece shows fine silhouettes of buildings in the distance, something I only noticed when I zoomed in! The upfront buildings also show the great lengths used to show realism, right down to the worn stonework of house walls. I have never seen a piece so detailed.
There is also seemingly an amicable amount of research in this piece. The houses are all completely different, showing that there was no standard construction method or style. Also, judging by the houses on the bridge (good heavens, whatever next?), there were few regulations as too where things could be built, which was true at the time. I know London was the capital, but I don’t think that houses should have been built on a bridge!
Hi Max, Thank you for such a detailed response. Yes you’re right there was no organised planning and the houses that sprung up across the bridge were a problem as they restricted the flow of traffic and people across. Also without going into too much detail but you can imagine where they flung their waste.
Did you manage to see the heads on spikes above the houses towards the right?
Why is London so big
Hi Madison,
London expanded a lot from the time of this painting. In the mid 1600s the population was estimated to be 500,000 whereas today it stands at: 9,304,000
How do people get across the bridge if people are living on it?
With difficulty Oli. Shortly after this painting is completed, the bridge is knocked down and a new on built to improve accessibility.
Why are the houses so close together and why are they not like that now
Hi Scarlett, There was no planning permission; buildings largely sprung up as and where they could be built. See Max’s post below where he discusses the houses.
All houses were really cramped and plus were made out of wood which means it was easy to catch the fire. Due to it being cramped, it spreaded quicker
When I think of London I think of famous landmarks such as The London Eye and Big Ben. I think that Landmarks such as Big Ben would’ve been around 400 years ago whereas the London Eye wouldn’t have existed 400 years ago. On the Bridge I can see many house and a key part of the bridge is the reflection because if I take this part out of the photo I feel like the bridge/ houses are flying. On the left side I can see a distant building that looks like a castle but I think it is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. On the right side I can see some cottages and some buildings that look like some sort of shop. I believe that the bridge is the best place to live out of the three areas is because it overlooks the Thames and has an amazing view, they also have multiple levels. I think the boat is carrying jewels or a body. I believe that the human it was carrying was a criminals body that had been beheaded. The clue for me was the heads on sticks in the background.
Hi Freddie, The building on the left is the Tower of London.
why are the houses on the bridge spaced out so much but the other houses off of the bridge aren’t
This painting made me think about the way that London has developed over time. As you can see on the left the buildings are made out of stone or bricks and are cramped together where as the building on the left we’re made out of straw and by looking, seemed slightly smaller. The left side is closer to how London is now and the right reminds me of before The Industrial Revolution. As other people have mentioned, the reflection on the water makes the painting seem more life like and with out would not give the effect it is giving with all the detail put in. The buildings on the bridge represents London very well at the time like it has been said, there were limited places to build houses so they had to build houses wherever they could.
I think the poorer side (Southwark) would be nicer to live in at this time because even though it is not a rich as the City of London, it is made to look nicer by the way the artist has made the more affluent side gloomy and crowded looking whereas Southwark is more light, airy and it also looks more like how I would imagine a medieval town by a waterfront would look like.
Interesting point Tom. Our eyes are drawn to the boat and Southwark.
very cool