ROOF repairs at a Kidderminster church have given people the chance to more closely examine a gift bestowed on the venue by a former king.
In 1790, King George III – also known as ‘the mad king’ – gifted a large coat of arms to St Mary’s Church in Kidderminster.
Measuring approximately 8ft square, the coat of arms has hung high above the main entrance of St Mary’s for many years.
However a recent roof fall damaged the ceiling above the painting and, to complete the roof repair, the coat of arms had to come down.
Last week, scaffolding was put up and a team of experts slowly lowered the precious painting to the ground.
Picture by St Mary’s Church, Kidderminster. s
The coat of arms will now be on display in the church while the roof repair is completed, and renovations to the painting’s canvas will be considered.
The presence of royal arms in churches shows the Church of England is governed, in theory, by the monarch.
The heraldry features a lion, representing England; and a unicorn, for Scotland.
The royal coat of arms is encircled by the Norman French motto Honi soit qui mal y pense:
Shame on him who thinks evil of it. At the base is the royal motto Dieu et Mon Droit, which translates as God and my right.
The coat of arms also features the three lions of England, the lion of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the fleur-de-lys of France, because English monarchs had long laid claim to the throne of France.
The Kidderminster coat of arms includes the letters GR, for Georgius Rex – with a III to signify the third King George – and the date 1787. That year came at the end of a major reordering of St Mary’s Church.
A spokesperson for the church said the roof repairs presented a great opportunity to see the coat of arms up close.
