May 2014
I sometimes come across something which stirs the inquisitive part of me.
Last weekend I spent the Saturday in the BCNS meeting room which also doubles as a a small museum containing canal artifacts donated by members. One objects (actually there are two examples) are BCN signs where the metal has laminated to an extraordinary extent.
But its not the construction which caught my eye but rather the inclusion of a star in the cut out design. It could be decorative, but I bet it has some significance.
Does anyone have any ideas what this means? - I have never seen it on any later signs.
I suppose it could be the star of David - but did the BCN have any Jewish connections?
And then taking this line of thought a bit further.... What do we know about The BCN Company itself? We know heaps about the canals they built, but what about the personality of the organisation who owned the infrastructure which held the West Midlands together and was the catalyst for its growth and prosperity.
Liking to view things from a commercial perspective I want to know more but am unsure where to look, and cant find any books on the subject. Any ideas?
"I suppose it could be the star of David".
ReplyDeleteI think you will find the Star of David has 5 points, not 6.
HTH
Andy,
ReplyDeleteCan't help you with the star, but the book you need is SR Broadbridge's "The Birmingham Canal Navigations Vol 1 1768-1846" (Sadly volumes 2 and 3 never saw the light of day). The Chapter on Control and Finance includes a full list of the names and occupations of the committee members and much else. Let me know if you'd like to borrow my copy.
Jim
Jim- that would be fantastic!
ReplyDeleteLoving the new photo at the top of the blog Andy! No clue as to anything else of course ...
ReplyDeleteSee tomorrow Sandra
ReplyDeleteAlthough the answer might lie in Stan Broadbridge's book, it could be simpler: If it were intended to be a Star of David then it would probably have been from a punch specific to that shape - but the photograph shows what looks like an imperfect star made with a triangular punch used twice. So perhaps it's just a decorative shape.
ReplyDelete(BTW: Small world... I knew Stan Broadbridge as a canal boater and as somebody who taught me contract law. His early death was a sad loss of both a scholar and a person whose company I enjoyed)