Great Doors: P&O

This great doorway once gave entry to the Headquarters of the P&O Orient Lines shipping company but it is now part of the Brazilian Embassy on Cockspur Street in London. The style is very Art Nouveau, forerunner to Art Deco, and is generally dated 1890-1914. The identity of the two ladies cannot be detmermined with any certainty, but the one on the right has three lions on her bosom and her stylised helmet is reminiscent of Britannia, female embodiment of the United Kingdom. Her colleague has no obvious markers or symbols, but the child next to her seems to be bearing lotus flowers and her wrist bangles seem oriental, specifically, Indian. For a shipping company concerned with maintaining commerce and communication between Britain and her empire, I think India a likely contender.

Interestingly, India is mentioned twice in the Bible, even the Geneva Bible of 1599 which I am currently using. Although its dominant religion of Hinduism could not be at greater odds with the Gospel, and Islam, its second in command, often proves itself to be a persecutor when Muslims are in the majority, God cares about that subcontinent and desires that its people hear the truth. Although British imperialism is given a consistently bad press by academics and media types, it certainly helped bring Christ’s light to that benighted land.

Pray for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.