I have seen an architectural drawing somewhere showing a shield of arms on the exterior of a chimney. I am thinking about this for my own place. Anyone have any thoughts as to materials, suitability, etc.?
John Crowley;84703 wrote:
I have seen an architectural drawing somewhere showing a shield of arms on the exterior of a chimney. I am thinking about this for my own place. Anyone have any thoughts as to materials, suitability, etc.?
Wrought iron is nice for a line drawing aspect. Sturdy and can be created by a metal sculpture student from your local university. Stained glass within a frame may work.
If they were a simple design I suppose a mold could be made and filled with cement and painted or not and hung.
John Crowley;84703 wrote:
I have seen an architectural drawing somewhere showing a shield of arms on the exterior of a chimney. I am thinking about this for my own place. Anyone have any thoughts as to materials, suitability, etc.?
Only today I discovered your post ,but if you are still interested I can advise.
But first you would have to tell me or even better show me a picture of an interior ,just to have a general idea of your house .It should be all coordinated so the choice of material ,style and technique will result in final effect.
John Crowley;84703 wrote:
I have seen an architectural drawing somewhere showing a shield of arms on the exterior of a chimney. I am thinking about this for my own place. Anyone have any thoughts as to materials, suitability, etc.?
Limestone or sandstone are traditional building materials for these types of accent carvings when embedded into a wall of brick or masonry construction:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2073085217_834f2bf624.jpg
This type of architectural element does require a skilled stonecutter in order to create it however, and sadly these are in short supply. As an alternative, you might check with a local monument company, the type who do cemetery monuments, and see if they can cut the design you want in on a slab of granite or stone in the appropriate thickness.
Brian;84708 wrote:
Wrought iron is nice for a line drawing aspect. Sturdy and can be created by a metal sculpture student from your local university. Stained glass within a frame may work.
If they were a simple design I suppose a mold could be made and filled with cement and painted or not and hung.
Certain materials are destined to be used within tradition they are normally used.If you think that a line drawing can be transformed into a wrought iron crate ,entrance gate or so it’s fine.Stained glass within a frame will be the best if exposed to the light ,so the window or any glass partition is fine.
You can’t go wrong with an exact copy of the ancient shield decorated with your arms ,just like it was in use and hung for a while…They display well on a plain or rustic wall of brick or stone . Good in case you have to move somewhere else.
Heavy marble or any kind of limestone or sandstone is relatively expensive but one of more elegant for a mension .
And of course ,modern technique offers very good synthetic imitations of any material , but these must be used with caution .
For exterior use ... perhaps sandstone; a medium that is easily worked, but also weathers easily.
I’ve seen arms, similar to the above example, embedded within the wall, above the door, of houses and castles. Always thought it looked nice. Saw many examples in Germany marking the entrance to a town’s or city’s boundary.
—Guy
Spanish example:
http://static.photaki.com/coat-of-arms-castle-of-alicante-spain_317215.jpg
Link here in case the image disappears in the future.
Scotland:
http://www.exploring-castles.com/image-files/craigmillar_castle_arms.jpg
Link here
Latvia:
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/4/2555506-Coat_of_arms_on_the_castle_wall_Talsu_Rajons.jpg
Link here
Bodiam Castle, Sussex:
http://www.free-images.org.uk/bodiam/wardeux-coat-of-arms.jpg
The shield was positioned on the gatehouse of Bodiam Castle. The shield was originally painted in silver, black and gold.
Link here
All examples are great , I like the neat one from Latvia and from the Bodiam Castle , but I understand that we are talking about the external part of an indoor chimney .. not that above the roof ?
These images are great! I wish I was rich enough to 1) own a house and 2) have my arms above a fireplace like that.
Aquilo;88080 wrote:
All examples are great , I like the neat one from Latvia and from the Bodiam Castle , but I understand that we are talking about the external part of an indoor chimney ..
Another at Eilean Donan:
Caledonian;88032 wrote:
Limestone or sandstone are traditional building materials for these types of accent carvings when embedded into a wall of brick or masonry construction:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2073085217_834f2bf624.jpg
This type of architectural element does require a skilled stonecutter in order to create it however, and sadly these are in short supply. As an alternative, you might check with a local monument company, the type who do cemetery monuments, and see if they can cut the design you want in on a slab of granite or stone in the appropriate thickness.
I concur, Limestone for me would be the choice. We use it a lot in the UK and here is a photo I took whilst visiting my Fiance’s family in America last year, (excuse the legs) and a close up of the arms. As you can see the family had the arms carved in limestone and set above the door when the house was built in a Edward Lutyens style, many years ago.
http://jamiesongallery.com/howardarms2.html
Guy Power;88089 wrote:
Hmmm ... I took it to mean exterior—as in outside. If he meant the mantle or above the mantle:
http://heraldry-scotland.com/copgal/albums/userpics/10027/clanshields_e_d_castle.jpg
Another at Eilean Donan:
Such a great ambiance ! I would enjoy living there
Andrew Stewart Jamieson;88143 wrote:
I concur, Limestone for me would be the choice. We use it a lot in the UK and here is a photo I took whilst visiting my Fiance’s family in America last year, (excuse the legs) and a close up of the arms. As you can see the family had the arms carved in limestone and set above the door when the house was built in a Edward Lutyens style, many years ago.
http://jamiesongallery.com/howardarms2.html
You should post some of the others you took in the neighborhood. They might be helpful if nothing else fun to look at. :USA:
Andrew Stewart Jamieson;88143 wrote:
I concur, Limestone for me would be the choice. We use it a lot in the UK and here is a photo I took whilst visiting my Fiance’s family in America last year, (excuse the legs) and a close up of the arms. As you can see the family had the arms carved in limestone and set above the door when the house was built in a Edward Lutyens style, many years ago.
http://jamiesongallery.com/howardarms2.html
A very nice touch to a home built in what we in America would refer to as Tudor Revival architecture. I’ve always been very fond of the half-timbered look. A fascinating crest, by the way. Is there a story behind it?
While planning my house I decided on chimneys curved in a local type of limestone .It’s warm color naturally blends with the tone of walls and it suits my taste.I chose to display only a shield , but since the main construction was done before I discovered the exact depiction of my family coat of arms, the curving was done according to my previous knowledge and believe that is should be good old PRUS
A lovely room Anna and I like the simplicity of your shield. The design on the frieze just below the mantle on your fireplace looks familiar - lotus or papyrus perhaps?