The Art of Fire

This beautifully carved chair sits in the reception area of Uaill, the magnificent Fire Training Centre in Cambuslang. It was carved by John McLaughlan aka the Govan Chairman.

There's a lot of symbolic elements in the work and its worth viewing large. The Strathclyde Fire Brigade crest is carved at the top of the chair; the Deer represents the Highland parts of Strathclyde; the Heart is the brave heart of William Wallace; the Marguerite daisy is for the 900th anniversary of Queen/St Margaret of Scotland; and the seat is a carved coiled length of fire hose.

Unfortunately, the way its displayed means its roped about very tightly which creates some problems. Next time I visit I'll have to work out how to include the hedgehog on a rail beneath the seat. Apparently, a Firemaster Jameson on returning from a fire, ordered his fire engine to stop rather than run over a hedgehog dazzled by the headlights.