The Yale of Beaufort

myminifactory

This sculpture portrays the Yale of Beaufort, one of the Queen's Beasts. The original Queen’s Beasts were ten heraldic statues produced for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ceremony on June 2, 1953, by sculptor James Woodford. It was ultimately decided to gift them to a Commonwealth government and Canada accepted the offer in 1959; they now stand at the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec. A replica set of Beasts made from Portland stone in 1956 by James Woodford were donated to Kew. Visitors approaching the main entrance of the Palm House are greeted with these sculptures. The Yale was a mythical creature, supposedly white and covered with gold spots, able to swivel each horn independently. It descends through Henry VII, who inherited it from his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. The shield shows a portcullis topped by a royal crown.