Worcester Guildhall and Queen Anne

Pevsner describes the Guildhall at Worcester (1721-4) as "splendid as any of the C18 in England". It is a large, imposing building of brick with stone details and may be by the architect Thomas White. Much of the fine detailing is on the upper part of the main facade. Here we see statues of Peace, Justice and Plenty above the large segmental pediment. This is filled with trophies of war that are painted and gilded. Below, framed by giant Corinthian pilasters is a niche with a statue of Queen Anne (formerly free standing). below is a broken-backed triangular pediment, above the main entrance, that features the city's coat of arms. The windows have segmental tops with keystone heads and aprons below. Statues of Queen Anne are not too common in Britain despite a style of architecture being named after her.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Royal Coat of Arms

When Henry VIII declared himself to be the head of the church in England it became customary for the royal coat of arms to be displayed in churches. It is quite common to come across examples of these today. They were often painted on square wooden boards by a local person and the quality of the representation depends heavily on the skills they brought to bear. They don't seem to have been changed with every change of monarch: it's my impression that most record the various Georges and Victoria, and I recall seeing examples from the time of Charles I and II. The example above can be seen in the abbey church of St Mary, Abergavenny, so it must have been an order that applied in Welsh protestant churches too. The letters A R (Anne Regina) and the date 1709 show it to be of the time of Queen Anne. The year 1707 is when, following the Acts of Union, Great Britain came into being.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5