John Simpson Architect.

(Queen’s Gallery and Kensington Palace Loggia Medals)

Bronze 57mm diameter.

John Simpson is a prominent London Architect often working on projects in historically important and sensitive sites. The plaster for the medal was carved by Matthew Holland.

John wishes to continue the practice of commissioning medals to celebrate the completion of a new building. These are generally called Architectural Medals.* In particular he wished to echo the medal struck for the Architect Sir John Soane for the designing of the bank of England. He took Matthew to the Soane House Museum in London to see the original. Matthew was able to use a plaster bust of John Simpson, sculpted by Alexander Stoddart as reference material.

*Information on these can be read in ‘The Architectural Medal’ by Jeremy Taylor and published by British Museum Publications Ltd.

The obverse shows a bust of John Simpson.

There are currently two reverses, the first celebrates the completion of the Queen’s Gallery in 2002. The second commemorates the loggia to Kensington Palace in 2012. The plaster models for both were carved by Matthew Holland.