pub sign

My employers on the barbican, The Queens Arms pub had recently noticed the signs for the pub were out of date (advertising a product we no longer served.) kindly they offered me the opportunity to redesign the signs with my own interpretation. The nature of pub signs, and pub sign illustration means there should be some reference to the name of pub, taking the Queens Arms literally leaves quite limited subject matter, either the coat of arms or her majesty's arms taking a more literal approach. This led me to attempt the former, updating the graphic which is well known as the Queens Arms, featuring a lion and a unicorn it provided a good opportunity for some tight and very restrained drawing. The symmetrical nature of a coat of arms proved to be somewhat problematic, the other subject matter I was quite comfortable with, a horse rearing and several photos of lions gave me enough reference to reproduce the iconic poses with a more natural style, sketching the lion and unicorn as a lion and a unicorn- a horse with a horn. 

 the pub on the barbican, and below the current sign with the queens coat of arms.

 this was perhaps the most artistic interpretation of the pubs name, in northumberland. however it has caused outrage with the  "Acomb Parish Council chairman Major Charles Enderby described the sign as "most distasteful and inappropriate".- bbc news