Capital of Culture unveils its 800th Birthday Coat of Arms
April 12 2007
On St George's Day (23 April) HRH The Prince of Wales will officially re-open St George's Hall, Liverpool, one of the city's most iconic buildings.
The re-opening will also be the occasion of the unveiling of a watercolour depicting a reinterpretation of Liverpool's coat of arms to celebrate the city's 800th anniversary, which will then be on permanent display.
The work has been specially commissioned from the internationally renowned artists, The Singh Twins, who will present a copy of the painting to HRH The Prince of Wales. The new work offers a reinterpretation of the traditional coat of arms of Liverpool, reflecting the changes in the city's identity, from the maritime image of its past to the modern projection of itself as a city of art and culture.
Employing the techniques used in Indian miniature paintings, the watercolour celebrates the many achievements to come out of Liverpool in the past 800 years and features some of the key figures including King John, Queen Elizabeth I, William Roscoe and even an appearance by King Kong. The coat of arms is very much a personal interpretation of events by the Merseyside-based twins who can be seen at either side of the painting overseeing the events.
Drawing on both British and Indian traditions and packed with humour and symbolism, the new coat of arms depicts a cityscape which lies between The Statue of Liberty and a Chinese pagoda. A series of structures from the past and present are featured, including The Three Graces, The Tower of Liverpool, St Nicholas' Church and Liverpool Castle. Interwoven are hundreds of references to events, people, places and inventions associated with the city from its seafaring reputation to its thriving arts and music scene.
To produce the new coat of arms, The Singh Twins have been involved in months of detailed research delving into the city's past. Although the new coat of arms is a major reinterpretation of the city's history, The Twins were keen to retain the Liver Bird motif from the original coat of arms, "We feel that the Liver Bird is a symbol which is recognised by all Liverpudlians as a symbol of their city. The only slight change is that the seaweed in the original bird's beak has been replaced with a pen and a paintbrush to signify Liverpool's move away from the maritime association of its past to one of arts and culture."
Graham Boxer, Head of Heritage Development for the Liverpool Culture Company said: "This commission from The Singh Twins takes a fresh look the city's history from its origins to the present day, in a highly original way. The new coat of arms will be displayed at the new Heritage Visitor Centre in St George's Hall, leaving a permanent reminder of the city's 800th birthday year celebrations."
