Golden beetle

Scarabaeus rana-aureus
The golden-frog beetle, 2003
click on images for larger version

It has been said that the architect Nicholas Hawkesmoor
worshipped a God other than the one to whom his churches were dedicated. His buildings appear weighty and imposing and loom ominously over their surrounding grounds. St Anne's, Limehouse is no exception.

Hawkesmoor's architecture is littered with pagan, occult and masonic symbolism and the buildings' designs relate to Eygptian mortuary temples. A set of pyramids sit atop the tower of St Anne's church while another pyramid around three metres high stands mysteriously in its grounds.

A freemason himself, Hawkesmoor's architecture has been associated with Atlantis, flesh-eating gods, Jack the Ripper and Masonic cults. On a map the position of his London churches de-marcate the occult symbol of a pentagon.

The scarab beetle was the source of inspiration for the creation myths of many ancient cultures. However no culture revered the scarab more than the Egyptians whom believed it to be a symbol of rebirth and immortality.

The Egyptians observed this beetle rolling a ball of dung before disappearing with it into the earth. They believed this action to represent the way in which the ball of the sun rolls across the sky before sinking beneath the horizon. Both the sun and the scarab will rise again, reborn.

The "heart scarab" was often included within the linen wrapping of Egyptian mummies. It was seen to be both an amulet of resurrection and an advocate that would guide the deceased through his passage to the next life.

Frogs were also buried with mummies as magical amulets to ensure rebirth for the deceased. They were symbolic of both fertility and re-generation.

Today the significance of the Egyptian symbolism of St Anne's is unknown to many. Likewise the potency of Hawkesmoor's architectural language becomes drowned out by the traffic and hustle bustle of the nearby Commercial Road.

Yet, on a chilly October day St Anne's seems to murmur its long buried secrets to all those who may listen. Perhaps the pyramid that proudly crowns nearby Canary Wharf answers its calls?

Old London gradually becomes new London. Still, much of the past remains...

.. and who knows what mysteries lie buried beneath the ancient parks, streets and floorboards of the city....What forces are at work whilst the developers create a shiny facade to hide them?

Peek between the cracks one day and you may glimpse a host of tiny creatures busily creating a city of gold from the dust.