A pair* of this Ethel Walker School Logo Weathervane were ordered by a donor to this highly regarded secondary school, founded by Ethel Walker in 1911. Ms Walker is quoted as saying, as she opened this girls only institution with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, that at the time “the general public thought girls would be physically ill if they studied.” Hah! You can find some good history of the school on Wikipedia.

The matching vanes will be mounted atop cupolas on the school’s large riding arena. Because of the viewing distance from the ground, and the size of the building, they were ordered in a custom 57 inch size. Two vanes this large required building a shipping crate, pictured above for interest, with our stellar Victor. Victor built the crate and also gilds all of our sculpture pieces with great expertise.

Along with the two very large vanes, we also made a small version of the two big ones to give as a gift to the donor who financed the project. It was such a lovely gesture on their part. Knowing how to make a meaningful contribution with lasting effect is sometimes difficult. Weather vanes are a wonderful contribution, with enduring aesthetic appreciation and value.

The design challenge here was in taking a logo representing a sundial being viewed on the horizontal and effectively translating it to the vertical. Where we settled, to great result, was crafting the sun disk, with its rays embellished from the lines in the logo, but the dial we placed at a 45° angle to the disc, which is solid, secure in winds, and reads very well from the ground.

This is a copper vane fabricated in Swell-Bodied style as a mirror image, meaning whatever side is being viewed it looks the same. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested to emphasize the angles in the sculpture, the time markings, and the arrow and fletching. This will be really wonderfully effective as the copper darkens and patinas, while the gold remains bright.

The shaft of the arrow below the vane is inscribed with the school name and date of its founding. Capping the tube at the fletching is a 1911 penny, in the tradition of ‘Lucky Pennies’ originated here at West Coast Weather Vanes. Sealed inside is our WCWV copper token for 2026, as the penny is no longer being minted, (A very big historical move!)

A school where girls are bold, joyful, and full-voiced in being themselves.

*All of our repeat customers receive a 10% discount on subsequent orders. When a first order is for more than one of our weathervanes a 10% discount on both is applied to the final payment on the completed order.