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Description: | A wooden post on a cruciform base with four cross-bracing struts, which supports a rectangular name board with two wrought iron scroll brackets. The name is incised on both sides and painted in gold, with a rearing white horse, the symbol of Kent, on a red shield beneath. On either side of this are small triangular panels carved with thistles, acorns, leaves and Tudor roses, coloured in red and green. There is a small overhanging lead roof over the sign, and it stands in a paved area with shrubs planted round. Additional Information: The rearing white horse and the motto 'Invicta' are the traditional symbol of Kent. The horse faces to the left, and stands on its hind legs with the right leg extended forward and slightly raised. The two front legs are separated as if pawing the air, with the right one higher than the other. The horse is often accompanied by the motto 'Invicta', meaning 'unconquered', usually in a scroll beneath. The white horse is supposed to be the horse of Odin and to have first appeared on the banner of the Jutes when they invaded the Isle of Thanet. They were led by the semi-legendary Hengist who, with his brother Horsa and son Æsc, were supposedly the first Saxons to arrive in Britain, in the fifth century, and founded the kingdom of Kent. Another tradition has it that it represents the horse ridden by Hengist. The title Unconquered' comes from Kent's claim to be the only county never to have submitted to William the Conqueror in that he agreed Kent could keep its Saxon customs and identity in exchange for Dover Castle. The county of Kent always covered roughly the same area as the ancient bounds until the reorganisation of Greater London in 1965. Originally it extended as far as the Thames and even included North Woolwich on the other side of the river. In 1965 several metropolitan boroughs and UDCs in north west Kent were taken into the newly-created boroughs of Bexley and Bromley. Bexley, Sidcup, Erith and Crayford went to Bexley borough, and Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington, Chislehurst and Penge went to Bromley. The horse had featured in the coats of arms of the old local authorities and was likewise incorporated into the crests of the new London Boroughs to show the historic link with Kent It is widely used throughout these areas, with or without the motto, as a decorative and symbolic motif. It can be found carved on buildings, while 'Invicta' is used in local street names, organisations, schools, and businesses. | Subjects: | Village sign | Source: | Vads | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=6993... | Go to resource |
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