A CEREMONIAL bardic chair featuring images of Gwent was presented to the National Eisteddfod committee for use in this year's festival in Newport.

The chair is one of the foremost honours of the eisteddfod and must be crafted to strict standards of design and workmanship.

The chair for this year's festival, being held from July 31 to August 7 at Tredegar House, was built by Newport-born craftsman Bob Davies, founder of Davies & Hawker.

Bob Davies, aged 72, who has been carving as a hobby for 16 years, said: "The chair is very important and symbolic to the eisteddfod. It really is the centrepiece of the festival, as everybody gets crowned there. So for me this is a great honour. I am very proud."

Among features delicately carved into the ornate chair is the Horn of Plenty, presented by the Lord of Tredegar to the 1897 Eisteddfod in Pill, the Newport ship, Roman soldiers from Caerleon, Newport docks and steelworks, Blaenavon's Big Pit and two rams representing Gwent's rural communities. A large Celtic cross adorns the back.

Part of the back of the chair was made from wood salvaged from the pipe organ which used to be housed in Newport town hall before it was demolished.

Mr Davies has also carved a traditional Welsh love spoon and walking-stick, which were auctioned to raise money for the eisteddfod. The chair will be used in a public ceremony for the Bard to sit on when he is crowned. The crown and chair are then given as a prize to the winning poet.

Eisteddfod assistant organiser Sionedd Davies said: "The chair is one of the integral parts of the festival. It was given as a prize in one of the first ceremonies hundreds of years ago, and that tradition carries on today. It is important that the chair reflects the area in which the eisteddfod takes place."

The chair is on display at the council offices in Newport civic centre for a month from Thursday, after which it can be seen around Gwent.