Friday Photo: Victoria Works Flagstaff
Today’s Friday photo is the flagstaff of Victoria Works. Victoria Works, in the Jewellery Quarter, is a grade II former pen nib factory that was purpose built for Joseph Gillot in 1839-40. Along the outer wall of the building is a beautiful medallion terracotta relief of Queen Victoria flanked by palm fronds and set within an attic storey. The attic storey conceals a small building that stands at right angles behind the wall and through whose roof the flagstaff rises. As you walk along Graham Street its actually easy to miss this medallion, its only when you cross the road that it is easier to see this beautiful feature of Queen Victoria. Today this impressive building, originally the first purpose built factory in the Jewellery Quarter, is still alive with activity as it is now split into offices and apartments.
Hi
With regards to the flagstaff, I used to work in Victoria Works and was told that the flagstaff was formerly one of the masts from HMS Victory. Is this true?
In around 1993, some rotten wood was removed from the flag pole and a metal collar added around the join where the wood was removed. The rotten section of around 3 metres was tossed into a skip and I asked permission to keep a section ( approx 1m) which I still have.
It would be good to know if the story of the flagstaff having come from the Victory is correct.
Johannah Dyer