Victoria Scottish Community Centre sports a new look loaded with symbolism, as the facility unveiled its new welcome sign on May 4.
Celebrating traditional Scottish craftsmanship and cultural heritage in the region, the handcrafted landmark located at 1803 Admirals Rd., was designed and built by Esquimalt-based Heritage Masonry.
It features traditional stone carving, stonemasonry, and blacksmithing techniques using local materials from Vancouver Island, explained artist and Heritage Masonry co-owner Gavin Chamberlain.
“We had a concept of donating and creating a piece of public art,” said Chamberlain. “We spent a year looking for the right space, and from there we began design referencing things relevant to the site and to the community in which we stand today.”
The sign begins with a colossal sandstone boulder, carved by Duncan artist Andrew Swinley, featuring the centre’s address and a unicorn – Scotland’s national animal.
To its left is a dry-stone wall laid vertically in a traditional northern English and Scottish style, made from locally sourced basalt slabs.
At the tail end of the wall stands a metal thistle – Scotland’s national flower – crafted by Metchosin blacksmith Jake James to symbolize the strength and resilience of its people.
The unveiling of the welcome sign took place at 11 a.m. followed by speeches from the artists, Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Nina Kireger and Jim Maxwell, executive director of Victoria Scottish Community Centre.
