Cross Keys pub sign
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Cross Keys pub sign by P L Chadwick as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Cross Keys pub sign
Image: © P L Chadwick Taken: 6 Jun 2010
The sign is badly weathered. It states this is a free house, i.e. not tied to one brewery. In the past, probably more than today, the Cross Keys would be widely recognised as a religious symbol, which represented St. Peter as the keeper of the gates of Heaven. Hence it was a popular sign for pubs and inns when most people were illiterate and pubs needed easily distinguishable signs. Going further back in history, in medieval times many inns were religious establishments and the signs normally had religious associations, such as the Angel, the Lamb and of course the Cross Keys. Pubs and inns of this name can be found in other countries too. The only English style pub in Cusco, a large city in Peru, is called the Cross Keys but it only dates from 1986! Image
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
52.31742
Longitude
-2.430083