St Peter's
The Queen's
Accolades for
Costumed
NorwoodThe Village Sign
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In 1920 the Duke of York ( later King George VI ) made a speech at the Royal Academy on the revival of Village Signs.
Following this the Daily Mail organised a competition and exhibition offering a total of £2200 in prizes for the design of the best signs. Ten awards were made, the design for the Village Sign for St Peter's being chosen as the winner out of 525 entries.
The first prize of £1000 was awarded to the designer Mr Percy H Matthews of Ramsgate. This significant sum allowed Percy to purchase his first house in Woodford Green, East London. The village takes its name from the 11th century Parish Church of St Peter-in- Thanet, and the Saint is shown on the Sign. When the Sign was first constructed it was erected in Vicarage Street, by the Church yard wall, outside the Baptist Church.It was removed during the Second World War so as not to assist identification by invading troops, then erected on the other side of the road on the wider pavement by the Red Lion. It was moved to its present position when the Village Green was laid out in the 1970s. |