3D Weathervanes in England

Overview of the three-dimensional weathervane in England

So numerous are the three-dimensional weathercocks in England, that they cannot be listed. Instead, this page only features one; the oldest functioning weathervane in England. This cockerel flies atop the church at Ottery St. Mary, and is also notable both for it's small size (2 ft. 3 in.), and the fact that it whistles.

Three-dimensional themes vary greatly, with even flat designs incorporating 3D elements like spun copper balls, heraldic symbols (e.g. the fleur de lys and the crown), and ornate scroll work. However, by far the most popular design produced three-dimensionally (after the weathercock), was the ship. Ships again, are so numerous, that this page only represents a small selection.

Three-dimensional weathervanes in England, have historically been reserved for only the most noteworthy buildings. These include Churches, Town Halls, Schools, and charitable organizations like orphanages and missions (they also appear occasionally on businesses). The popularity of banners and pennon style weathervanes amongst the nobles in the 14th century, compounded by the need for a royal license to display a weathervane in the 13th century, may explain why three-dimensional weathervanes do not appear more regularly on manor houses in England.

For three-dimensional weathervane producers in England, the favoured material was copper, although some casting was done in bronze. The Victorians, however, would have considered a copper weathervane which was not gilded, to be naked. Thus the high incidence of 3D vanes in gilt copper. The copper weathervane was usually a one-off creation by a blacksmith (molded copper weathervanes were certainly
never manufactured or mass produced in England). With nearly every village in England having its own blacksmith, the weathervane was considered a rare occasion for the craftsman to display his skill and artistry in "light" metals. For this reason the style and design of each of the vanes
varies greatly, with particular care and attention paid to the individuality of the cardinal letters. Certainly weathervanes were considered to have enough visual effect on the building on which they stood, that a good many of the vanes in the list below were designed by the architects themselves (Sir Christopher Wren designed a different weathervane for each new church, after the Great Fire of London). Nonetheless, by the 18th century, the copper weathervane in England was slowly dying out. Unlike in America, where the copper weathervane
flourished for most of the 18th and 19th centuries (and still today are widely available) .

for further information check out these books:
A. Needham, English Weathervanes Their Stories and Legends from Medieval to Modern Times

Patricia & Philip Mockridge, Weathervanes of Great Britain