Wheat and Laurel Gable Plaque in Antique Brass

The Sign

A squared plate with a shallow gable at the head and open rafter lines beneath it, and a branch curving up each side of the field, wheat ears at the top of it and laurel leaves below. Three lines: the number large at the top, the family name across the middle, and the established year on a narrow band at the foot.

Wheat for the harvest, laurel for what lasts. On a house it reads as settled rather than triumphant.

Craftsmanship

Electroformed metal over a sculpted form, finished in antique brass, so each laurel leaf keeps its own edge and each wheat ear stays separate from the one behind it. Rafters, branches and the three lines of lettering are cut at their own heights, between 2 and 5 mm off the ground. The plate is 8 to 10 mm thick and solid all the way through, and the gable outline is cut, not printed onto a rectangle.

Readable from the road

The number is the largest thing on the sign by a clear margin, and the branches are kept to the outer edges so nothing crowds it. Raised brass on a ground left dark is what makes it carry; in flat light and at dusk it still separates from the wall.

Built for outside

UV-protected and weather-treated once the patina is on. Rain, frost and full sun will not fade or lift the finish, and there is no steel in it to rust and stain the stonework.

Personalization

Three things: the number, the family name and the year. Most people use the year they moved in. Send all three exactly as they should appear, and tell us if you want the name in full capitals or in title case; both are set differently and it changes the character of the sign.

A design preview comes back by email before anything is made.

Specifications

• Material: electroformed metal over a solid sculpted core
• Finish: raised antique brass on a blackened ground
• Thickness: 0.3 to 0.4 in (8 to 10 mm), solid through
• Relief: raised detail stands 0.1 to 0.2 in (2 to 5 mm) proud of the ground, at more than one height across the design
• Shape: squared plate with a shallow gable head, wheat and laurel branches to each side
• Sizes: eleven, from 6 x 4 to 10 x 10 inches, height x width
• UV-protected and weather-treated for outdoor use
• Made to order in our own workshop

The band at the foot is the narrowest line on the plate. Start at 8 x 8 if you want all three lines to sit comfortably.

Mounting

Three ways, chosen at checkout.

• Keyhole slots: two screws in the wall, and it lifts off cleanly.
• Peel-and-stick tape: sealed strips already applied. No drilling. Smooth, clean, dry surfaces only.
• Floating stud mount: reinforced studs that stand it clear of the wall, which suits the gable outline particularly since the shadow follows the shape.

Hardware and instructions are included with all three.

Where it works

A stone gatepost, a brick pier, a painted porch, a paneled door surround. It reads formally, so it suits a house with some symmetry to it.

Gifting

Bought most often by the family themselves in the first year, and by parents or siblings in the second. The year on it is what makes it a gift rather than a fixture.

Care

Soft dry cloth. No brass polish; the contrast between bright metal and dark ground is the design.