AN ANCIENT coat of arms has been re-created from a 300-year-old piece of oak by a Ribble Valley craftsman.

Stonyhurst College's historic crest has been carved by nationally-renowned sculptor Martyn Bednarczuk, of Barrow, near Clitheroe, and now has pride of place in the school's new state-of-the-art library.

Martyn spent hundreds of hours accurately shaping the intricate coat of arms from an existing drawing, starting out with a metre-wide block of wood.

The Stonyhurst College coat of arms is more than 400 years old and incorporates the college motto 'Quant je Puis', meaning 'As much as I can' in old French.

The college's newest artwork was revealed at a recent opening of The More Library by Paul Johnson, the well-known journalist and eminent historian.

Martyn, 49, a member of the Master Carvers Association, sculpts in wood, stone, marble, and clay, and has worked on heritage, renovation, and replica projects nationally, as well as on community and private commissions.

Martyn, now partly-based at the college, said: "We all need challenges to drive ourselves forward. My work keeps me young because you are thinking all the time of creative ideas."