Courageous
The mace has three large seaxes made with the University’s coat of arms equispaced between each one. The three blades are made from titanium and point away from the saxon crowns located on each of the crests which, in turn, are made using sterling silver, red enamel, 24 carat hard gold and are rhodium plated. The crest has long been used as a standing symbol of Middlesex county as far back as the times of the Anglo-Saxons. It represents courage and resourcefulness and is attributed to King Athelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxons, who used it as a penny during his reign. It is the earliest form of a crown associated with an English sovereign. Middlesex county later became part of London and the coat of arms symbolises Middlesex’s roots in its community.
Global
The top of the mace holds a domed globe representing Middlesex’s international reach with over 40,000 students across four campuses worldwide in London, Dubai, Mauritius and Malta, which are engraved around the collar of the globe. The sea is made of enamelled blue guilloche and the land is made using 24 carat hard gold plate. Encircling the globe, is the inscription Middlesex University London.
Collaborative
The staff of the mace has red enamelled intersecting lines that represent Middlesex’s predecessor institutions dating back to 1987. The lines intertwine to illustrate the University’s growth as an institution and the coming together of its predecessors to form the Middlesex of today.
The names of each institution and the year of its founding are engraved on the staff and are made of argentium and sterling silver.
1878 St Katherine’s College
1882 Hornsey College of Art
1889 Royal Free Hospital School of Nursing
1901 Ediswan Institute
1939 Hendon Technical Institute
1944 London College of Dance
1947 Trent Park College of Education
1962 New College of Speech and Drama
1962 Enfield College of Technology
1973 Middlesex Polytechnic
1990 North London College of Health
1992 Middlesex University London
2005 Middlesex University Dubai
2009 Middlesex University Mauritius
2013 Middlesex University Malta
The creation of the Middlesex Mace
The mace was designed and created by Richard Fox MDes RCA, an internationally renowned silversmith and alumnus of Middlesex, who graduated from the University in 1977 then returned as an Associate Lecturer for seven years, running the first year silversmithing course in 3D design.
Richard has an impressive list of accomplishments from working for Formula 1 and Rolls Royce Motor Cars to Lambeth Palace and The Silver Trust before turning his attention to Middlesex, where his career began.
He created a mace that is distinctive to Middlesex and all that it embodies, a design that is rooted in tradition with a modern outlook. To further honour the history of the University, the mace has been made using argentium, a type of silver metal invented at Middlesex that is brighter than platinum and is tarnish resistant.
The University’s Chancellor, Dame Janet Ritterman, kindly donated the full amount for the mace to be designed and created. It took over 100 hours to create, weighs 5kg and is 1.05 metres in length.