News: Limited Edition Horse-Brass - Grand Western Canal 1814 to 2014
Date Added: 24/06/2014 @ 11:00am
A limited edition horse brass has been commissioned to celebrate 200 years of the Grand Western Canal and is available from the canalside shop. Alternatively you can call us to have yours sent by post (£6.99 + p&p): contact Sam on 01884 253345.
In Medieval England, decorative horse brasses were in use before the 12th century, serving as a status symbol or as a talisman (an object believed to contain certain magical properties which could provide good luck for the possessor or possibly offer protection from evil or harm). However, extensive research by the National Horse Brass Society suggests there is no connection between these bronze amulets and the working class harness decorations used in the mid 19th century, which are thought to have developed as part of an interest in the decorative arts following Queen Victoria’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
The most popular size of horse brass is 3x3.5 inches of flat brass with a hanger by which the brass is threaded onto a horse harness strap - known as a martingale - and especially used for decoration of harness for heavy horses. These brasses were popular in the mid 19th century until their general decline alongside the use of the heavy horse, but they remain a collector’s item today.