Cowardly Lion

One of things I love about Daily Photo Blogging is that you take a photo of something you've seen dozens of times, go to post it and realise you know nothing about it. A quick look on the Internet soon fills in the blanks, and you've learnt something new about the place you call home.

This coat of arms is above the porch of John Dower House, in Crescent Place. The building is now the headquarters of the government body The Countryside Commission, but the coat of arms belongs to one of Britain's former Kings. The imposing building was built in 1820 and was opened as Fisher's Boarding House, but it was soon renamed Clarence Hotel. The renaming was due to a stay in 1827 by Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence. She was the wife of the future King William IV. In 1858 the County police force set up its headquarters in the former hotel and stayed until 1970. The Countryside Commission moved into the building in 1974 and has been there since.

One of the websites I looked at refereed to the Lion as being like the one from the Wizard of Oz! I agree!


Something I can't answer is - Who was/is John Dower?.... Something else to discover...