Arms and the man, and various beasts

Pub signboards have been a feature of the English landscape for centuries but, being exposed to both the elements and changing fashions (and the lifetime of the pub), each board tends to have a fairly short life. Several years ago, noticing some familiar old signs had been replaced, I began a photographic ‘archive’. I then became intrigued about what or who they depicted. The signs described here are mostly from South Cambridgeshire, because that’s where I live.

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Arms and the queen

The Alexandra Arms, Gwydir Street, Cambridge

One of Greene King’s better efforts, this, showing that they can come up with something attractive and accurate if they try.

These are the Arms of Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia, Princess of Denmark, Queen Consort to Edward VII and Empress of India. As Queen Consort (later Queen Dowager/Queen Mother) rather than Queen Regnant, her Arms are the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom impaled with the Arms of her father, King Christian IX of Denmark, which are the Danish Royal Arms of 1819–1903 – hence the woodwose acting as the sinister supporter. (The tale of the complexity of the Danish Royal Arms is a saga in itself.)

The pub predates her husband’s accession in 1901, but has been known as the Alexandra Arms since at least 1879 (Post Office Directory), by which time Alexandra was already proving a popular Princess of Wales.

2 comments:

Anonymous1 December 2012 at 08:04
The refurbished and recently reopened Alexandra Arms now has a new sign that appears to be from a stamp issued in Newfoundland in 1911.
http://pintsandpubs.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/alexandra-arms-cambridge/
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment