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GWR coat of arms mosaic finds permanent home

Katie Waple
BBC News
The mosaic formerly adorned the floor of the entrance foyer at the GWR HQ

An unveiling ceremony has taken place to welcome a railway coat of arms mosaic to its permanent home in Oxfordshire.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) coat of arms mosaic has found a home in the museum at Didcot Railway Centre.

It previously lay on the floor of the entrance foyer at the Great Western Railway headquarters at London's Paddington station, which opened in 1906.

Antiques expert Paul Atterbury explained that the budget for this project at the time was "huge" but people agreed to spend the money because "they were making something wonderful".

The Great Western Railway Coat of Arms was a logo that appeared on GWR rolling stock from 1927 to 1933, and then reappeared in 1942 until nationalisation in 1947.

It combines the crests of the City of London and of Bristol respectively.

Peter Rance from Great Western Trust said: "It's our gift now to future generations."

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