Macduff soup kitchen/library royal arms

Macduff soup kitchen/library royal arms

Location

The newly refurbished crest, now painted is now sited on the wall at the entrance to the current Macduff Public Library (re-erected in 2005) through assistance from the Macduff Common Good Fund and the Banff Preservation and Heritage Society.
Macduff, Aberdeenshire

Description

A standard issue 19th Century? cast metal 'UK Royal Arms', England, Scotland and Ireland (of a form first used from 1838) made by Walter Macfarlane & Co cast at the Saracen Foundry Glasgow. It originally adorned a 'public soup kitchen' at 21 High St. opened in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee, subsequently the building was the town's library (for man does not live by soup alone). The arms are of course displayed inverted (for Scotland) in Scotland the Unicorn of Scotland should be shown on the dexter side of the shield in England it is shown sinister. I do not of course know if this was the result of Victorian imperialist cultural insensitivity, bureaucratic ignorance or centralised mass production of soup kitchen décor.

Related Information

The crest was taken down in 2004 when the original building was sold to be converted into a house top 2 photographs show it on the original building.

Era

1800s

Categories

Iconography

  • heraldic motifs
  • mythical or heraldic beast

Creator

  • Walter Mac Farlane & Co Glasgow, Foundry

Photographer

  • Stanley Bruce

Unavailable Data

  • OS Map Reference
  • Date
  • Information Source
  • Related Artefacts
  • External Links

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