Factual Friday
By Charlie Elphinstone
Pub signs are supposed to catch your attention and draw you towards them. This pub sign we have in the shop immediately caught my attention due to it featuring a historical figure, Queen Anne.
Queen Anne was born on the 6th of February 1665 under the reign of her uncle Charles II. She was 3rd in line to the throne, after her uncle’s death the crown passed to James VII then during the glorious revolution of 1688 it was passed to the joint monarchs Mary II and William III. The pair had no children so after the death of William III in 1702 Anne finally came to the throne.
The coronation was held on the 23rd of April 1702 with her husband Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland becoming consort. During Prince George’s life Queen Anne fell pregnant 18 times however the children unfortunately would not be born alive or would die prematurely.
By far the most famous thing that happened during Queen Anne’s reign was the “Act of Union”, on the 1st of may 1707 which joined Scotland and England together as “the kingdom of Great Britain”. Unfortunately on the 1st of August 1714 Anne’s life was cut short at the age of 49 due to gout, dropsy, a haemorrhage and a stroke.
A bit of information about the sign itself: it was painted in 1975 by David Fisher. David painted over 400 pub signs during his life and painted murals on walls of service stations all across England.
Queens head pub sign £495.00
https://www.strichenantiques.co.uk/product-page/queens-head-pub-sign
