Dedicated to Mendelssohn, this is a part of a tree from Burnham Beeches which was blown down in 1990, and which was apparently a favourite haunt of the composer Mendelssohn to gain inspiration for his music. Apart from the musical links to the Barbican Centre, it also commemorates the fact that Burnham Beeches was purchased by the Corporation of London on behalf of the nation in 1880
These sculptures, above the portico of the Bank of England, were the work of Sir Charles Wheeler - part of a set depicting 'Creators and Guardians of Wealth' - for Sir Herbert Baker's reconstruction of the Bank edifice between the World Wars.