Re: What's This?
 

No Doug, it isn't in Abbey Street.

Re: What's This?
 

Try this:

The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must in their turn, to tyrants fall,
Must in their turn, must in their turn, to tyrants fall,
While thou shalt flourish, shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke,
More dreadful, more dreadful from each foreign stroke
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame;
All their attempts to bend thee down,
All their attempts, all their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame,
But work their woe and thy renown.
To thee belongs the rural reign,
Thy cities shall with commerce shine
Thy cities shall, thy cities shall with commerce shine
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair,
Shall to thy happy coast, thy happy coasts repair,
Blest isle! with matchless beauty crowned,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.

Re: What's This?
 

OK.............are we looking at the entrance to a pub?

Re: What's This?
 

Well you've lost me Bobby boy. Has it something to do with the British Legion or a Barracks somewhere?

Re: What's This?
 

Imam Muhammad Shirazi? Warm or Cold

Re: What's This?
 

???????????????????????

I would assume the woman, led down in what appears to be a cave of sorts, is some symbol of oppression/imprisonment/lack of freedom & the light casts something into the dark shadow............so if it's not a pub, is this a chapel or a church?

Re: What's This?
 

Rule, Britannia

Re: What's This?
 

Good 'un, Doug...............are their two Britannia's in Hyndburn? One up Ossy & where's the one in Accy?

Re: What's This?
 

AT LAST!

Yes, Rule, Britannia. Written by Thomas Arne. the Statue is located above the main entry to the Britannia on Nuttal Street. I assume that the decapitated figure is that of Britannia herself. Anyone confirm this assumption?

Re: What's This?
 

Why do you the statue could be Britannia? if the words are "Britons never, never, never shall be slaves..."then surely this is a reference to a slave...Britannia is normally pictured standing upright, and not down in an enclosed space...I think this is a cracking little pun. It's the Arndale Clock of it's day!

Re: What's This?
 

If you look at some of the older penny coins, Britannia is shown seated. If you look on early victorian coins she is depicted seated and leaning slightly backwards. I am guessing here but it's not really too far of a move to depict her in a semi-recumbant pose. Honestly though the figure is a mystery. It may be that it pre-dates the pub and was included as a makeshift Britannia on the basis that owt is better than nowt.

Re: What's This?
 

Was she not depicted reclined suckling a lion at some point.

Re: What's This?
 

I have found these if it helps, though I don't think it does. I haven't heard about her suckling a lion though. Don't we have strange goddesses in this country?

Re: What's This?
 

I and some of the bu**ers are still living

Re: What's This?
 

looking at the close up again I noticed that the upper right hand corner does not sit right with the surrounding stone work. It looks as though it has been inserted after the building was finished. The other thing I noticed is that there may be some incised words in the arch, or this may just be a trick of the light.