This is an old school carving, literally. My job involves me going to different venues and so I get to see lots of interesting buildings and the artifacts they have there. This carving is in the St Mary’s Centre in Port Talbot, South Wales. It’s a reclaimed block from the demolition of the building that the current centre replaced.

What I like so much about this carving is how rough it is. The letters aren’t perfect and the words aren’t in straight lines either. This was obviously done by someone who was either an apprentice, or whose job wasn’t stone masonry. It’s this fact that makes it so appealing to me. This block was done on a personal level and stood in place for many years.

The year date on it is 1831, so the person who carved it is long dead, and probably unknown. I’d imagine that no one has known who carved it for almost a century already. But the image is there.