before we look at the beasts themselves, a quick definition courtesy of gravely gorgeous…

We tend to call any piece of architectural sculpture that depicts animals a gargoyle. Strictly speaking, however, gargoyles are decorative waterspouts that preserve stonework by diverting the flow of rainwater away from buildings.. Grotesques, while similar in appearance, serve a variety of other practical and ornamental functions, as corbels or capitals, for instance. The term, grotesque, can apply to any fanciful human or animal form, especially when it indulges in caricature or absurdity.

not that it’s a hot topic around manchester but i don’t know anyone that dislikes gargesques (easier to type). when done well they can elevate a building’s brilliance by a hefty percentage but even when done to a lower standard they still manage to add some charm to what otherwise may have been ‘just a building’. i love the idea that there are thousands of these stone devils sitting on buildings, surveying the world below, effortlessly adding charm to their perch. so, below are some favourites in a list which could’ve been larger but ultimately would’ve diluted the greatness of those included, so maybe i’ll do another batch at a later date.

if i was ever going to use the term ‘bad-ass’ (and i am) it’d be to describe the following examples…

the chrysler building, new york

sources, clockwise from top: 1, 2, 3

the chrysler building: a beautiful art deco skyscraper in manhattan which was built to house the chrysler headquarters in the early 1930s. the 61st floor is surrounded by 8 stunning silver eagles (top) which were actually replicas of 1929 chrysler hood ornaments and on the corners of the 31st floor can be found enormous replicas of chrysler’s 1926 radiator caps (bottom left). the fact that architect william van alen was able to add automotive-inspired ornaments to a skyscraper without ruining it is a feat in itself.

unknown building, new orleans

sources: left / right

i came across a photo of this grotesque last year by chance and still believe it to be one of the best around. the problem is, i have no idea which building it guards. all i know is that it resides in the french quarter, new orleans and is the epitome of evil with its scowling face and victim’s head in hand. horror aside, the craftmanship is also impressive. does anyone know the story behind it?

notre dame de paris, paris

sources: top / bottom

the gargoyles and grotesques that live on the notre dame de paris are probably the most widely recognised in the world, and with good reason. when built in the 13th century, this cathedral was without gargoyles of any kind – it was only when the incredible building was restored in the 19th century that victor pyanet’s monsters were designed and given their now-famous seats. every single gargoyle and grotesque has been given its own character and with the surrounding views of paris there are hundreds of photo opportunities to be had.

eastern state penitentiary, philadelphia

sources: top / bottom

the idea of attaching a couple of disgusting gargoyles to the exterior wall of a prison is a great one and that’s exactly what they did at eastern state penitentiary in philadelphia, an ominous-looking correctional facility which closed its doors to offenders in 1971. it was opened to the public in 1994 as an historic site and the winged grotesques still stand firm at the gates, looking ready to rip out the eyeballs of all that pass. [update] apparently they’re temporary and only make an appearance at halloween. they should leave them up there permanently.

neues rathaus, munich

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unfortunately it’s not often you see enormous dragons attempting to scale buildings, a fact that makes this one in munich’s marienplatz all the more incredible. the huge stone dragon, which also glows in the dark, can be found attached to a corner of the ‘new town hall’ in munich, a building which is pretty much covered in all manner of gargoyles and grotesques.

pena national palace, sintra

sources: left / right

sitting above the door of pena palace in sintra, portugal, is one of the most fantastically hideous grotesques you could ever wish to see. the top half of the beast is ugly human, holding in has hands the branches of a tree which seems to originate at the back of his head, but as we venture south his legs seem to transform into fish-tails. it really is a disgusting piece of work but at the same time oddly compelling and definitely one of the best i’ve seen.

tour d’eben-ezer, bassenge

sources, clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3

completed in 1963 by local eccentric robert garcet, the tower of eben-ezer in bassenge, belgium, was built using flint from a local quarry and contains 7 floors and 4 towers, each of the towers representing a different horseman of the apocalypse. on top of each tower then stands a grotesque which represents a different cherub of the apocalypse. and they’re stunning. in comparison to the size of the tower itself they’re gigantic and are the first thing you notice no matter which angle you approach from, leering over the top as if ready to pounce.

washington national cathedral, washington

sources: left / right

easily the most recent grotesque in this list is the darth vader head that sits quietly on the national cathedral in washington, and it’s most definitely ‘bad-ass’. it was added to the exterior in the 80s as a result of a competition held by the cathedral for kids to design grotesques for the building, 3rd place going to this depiction of evil by a young geek called christopher reader.

gargoyle filth

sources, clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4

finally, i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post some photos of rude gargoyles, so here they are. the first, an extremely early goatse.cx contender, can be found threatening to shit rain water on passers-by at aswarby church in lincolnshire. the other 3 exhibitionists are all to be seen at the lonja de mercaderes in valencia.

for more gargoyle related info, i’d definitely suggest this site as a starting point and i’d also suggest looking on flickr as there are thousands of photos to be digested. if the last example was more your cup of tea you should take a look at satan in the groin, a site dedicated to ‘exhibitionist figures on medieval churches’. i bet you didn’t have that one in your bookmarks.