I’m very happy to show for the first time on the internet the Pelsall flag!
Pelsall
Now I must be very vocal in saying that this is indeed a very beautiful flag and… I didn’t design it. That honour goes to a former local of that beautiful little village – David Pugh. Whilst it is not heraldic in style the design really is a beautiful piece of artwork showcasing elements of Pelsall’s surrounding features like the bridge and canal.
Pelsall’s flag wasn’t the Black Country’s first, that honour belongs to Sedgley, however it was the second and the rarer of the two. In 2006 the flag was torn from its pole and stolen by thieves, and not seen again.
After becoming so involved in flag design recently, I decided to turn flag detective! I found an article online that described the flag and its theft. From that I got in contact with a councillor, Gary Perry, who had been interviewed about the crime. Gary was able to supply me with the artwork, he has also expressed a desire to fly the flag again which is great news and I hope to keep everyone here updated.
Now, onto a flag that I have designed to finish off this week’s blog – Rowley Regis. This was a flag that I was determined would look good, because not only is Rowley near to Halesowen, sharing some common heritage, but my family has some association with the town as well.
Rowley Regis
As usual I looked at using the coat of arms that the town has, though this was far too complex to readily translate into a flag design. So I started by keeping the vertical red stripes either side of the ermine band, the ermine being a symbol of the Earls of Dudley. One of the most unique and interesting things about Rowley is the addition of ‘Regis’ to its name to denote royal land. I wanted to make a highlight of this in the design and that gave me the idea of using the four lions from the coat of arms. However, this would be quite a lot for a small flag design, so I thought it might be better to use just one large lion passant; the type that is on on the Royal English coat of arms; as a centre piece for the design. Finally, upon the beasts shoulder is a blue fleur-de-lys, which refers to the local landowners, Halesowen Abbey, and features on the towns crest.
The result is another good looking flag for another proud town!
Note: This and all Black Country Flag posts are written by Phillip Tibbetts
