Mean, Speak and Do Well: October 2010

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Do you care about the Coat of Arms?

If you have any information about the coat of arms or an opinion on what should happen to it - eg should it be restored or just left alone....it would be great if you could leave a comment here, and/or forward this blogsite to everyone you think should know about it.

More detailed information about history( at least what has been uncovered so far ) of the plaque will be posted here in the not too distant.. so please register as a follower if you want to be alerted to new posts.

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

The present condition-what's broken?

The red marks indicate where there is damage to the plaque, : ie where parts are broken off.

As you can see the plaque has suffered considerable wear and tear since it was made around 25o years ago.

This diagram was produced by Karolina Kubisz, a conservator based in Elgin , who was invited to inspect the plaque and give an estimate for the cost of repair. Karolina was lifted with a cherry picker to enable her to have a close look .

Welcome!

This blog has been set up to try to document and share the information and stories which are emerging from ongoing research into the Urquhart Coat of Arms on Oldmeldrum Town Hall, which began initially simply to try to find out how to repair it.

Trying to establish how it was made and who made it, has proved to be more challenging than anticipated, and presently there are still a number of missing chapters in the tale.

If you would like to get involved in helping to solve this puzzle or raising funds for the restoration please do get in touch.

The Coat of Arms Restoration Group

The Coat of Arms Restoration Group, has come together as a result of the refurbishment of the Square. The initial walks & talks organised by Janet McEwan, the artist commissioned for the public art in the Square, encouraged us to observe more closely the architecture in our environment. As a result ,we think it is a shame that while so much renewal has taken place all around it, this wonderfully fine piece of art, more than 250 years old, remains in its broken, dilapidated state. Over the coming weeks we will be telling you about the results of our research and progress so far.

One conservator survey has been completed and we are fairly certain that it is possible to restore the coat of arms to its former glory for around £10,000. We need to have a second survey done but at the moment have no funds . Please send us your thoughts or ideas and if you feel like joining the group you would be most welcome.

Evelyn Munro. 03.11.10

03.11.00