BSU's Ceremonial Mace

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Carrying a legacy: The story behind BSU's Ceremonial Mace

Monday, 26 January, 2026

Bath Spa University is gearing up for its Winter Graduation ceremonies on 3 February, and staff, graduates and their friends and loved ones will be looking forward to celebrating the successes of our BSU community.  

It all begins with a colourful procession, where BSU staff walk through the auditorium in their academic robes and take the stage, one of them carrying a unique and bespoke object – BSU’s Ceremonial Mace. 

Created by the late sculptor and artist Professor Michael Pennie, BSU’s Ceremonial Mace embodies the University’s commitment to creativity, craftsmanship, and tradition. The Ceremonial Mace leads the academic procession at all BSU graduation ceremonies, symbolising the authority of the University and the collective achievement of its graduating students. 

Michael Pennie joined Bath Academy of Art (which later became part of BSU’s School of Art and Design – now the Bath School of Art, Film and Media) in 1962 as a visiting lecturer and became a Professor of Sculpture in 1996. In 2001 Michael retired from teaching to become a full-time artist and remained a constant, creative presence at BSU as an Emeritus Professor and Artist in Residence at the University’s Corsham Court campus, where he worked daily in his studio.  

Michael died in 2019 after a brief illness. The Michael Pennie Gallery at Locksbrook Campus is named in his honour, recognising his lasting contribution to the University’s artistic life. 

Talking about the origins of the mace, Michael once said: 

“The genesis of [the mace] came from a conversation regarding the absence of a university mace at BSU. It was suggested then that I should make one. Although at that time I was reluctant to respond to the proposal, I was prompted to do some research and discovered that my vague notions of what a mace looked like were very limited. I found to my delight that many older maces were very simply made, carved from wood and without ornamentation.” 

Michael’s Ceremonial Mace – originally titled ‘Mace-like Sculpture’ – is made of a combination of the three traditional materials used in making sculpture: clay, wood and stone. The four orbs recall the four spheres of the earth and are supported by pillars of clay.  The wood is from a branch of a sycamore tree that used to stand on Atworth village green in Wiltshire. 

Marlene Pennie, Michael’s widow, said:  

“Working on the mace for the University meant a great deal to Michael. It was uplifting for him, and I’m proud that it remains as a lasting memorial to Michael.” 

Before ‘Mace-like Sculpture’ found its home at BSU, it was exhibited at several venues including at BSU in the Lecture Room at Corsham Court; at Trowbridge Arts and The Cart Shed, Wadswick as part of the Michael Pennie: Sculpture for Furniture exhibition; the Adventures in Wiltshire Tour in 2015; and at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. 

The mace now resides in the Chancelry office in Main House at Newton Park, where it has pride of place on the mantelpiece. At Graduation, during the academic procession, the mace is carried by a senior member of staff who dons a pair of white gloves to hold the mace and bring it up onto the stage, where it is placed on its marble plinths.

Staff who have carried the mace – some of whom have done so for nearly a decade – say it’s a great honour and bestows a sense of pride. 

Professor Andy Salmon, Pro-Vice-Chancellor External at BSU said: 

“I love carrying the mace. It looks like a featherweight, but in fact is very solid. It's mysterious. It still carries something of its tribal origin – part medicinal, part protective; numinous but not religious, completely other. So I aways feel like Michael meant us to hold it lightly but firmly, knowing that what we have in our charge just briefly is something special, an opening into other worlds – what education is, I believe, supposed to liberate.” 

University Secretary David Newman said: 

"The mace represents not only the solemnity of the occasion but is a true artefact of professional creativity – uniquely and expertly crafted by the late Michael Pennie and which serves as a tribute to our community of thinkers and makers (it also provides a moderate workout for the bearer!).” 

Professor John Strachan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise and Director of BSU’s Corsham Court Campus, said:   

“The mace stands as a lasting symbol of Michael Pennie’s creativity, generosity, and enduring influence on our university and its creative values.” 

Summing up the essence of the mace, Professor Andy Salmon added: 

“In a way African traditions would recognise I think, Michael is embodied in the mace. I find this fitting too. So much of creativity is about the continuance of a live inheritance. I feel honoured whenever asked to perform the ceremonial duty. The walk down the aisle onto the stage is five minutes with a guardian spirit. We all need that, don't we, from time to time?” 

 

Find out more about Fine Art at Bath Spa University and explore the Michael Pennie gallery on Instagram. BSU’s Ceremonial Mace will make its next appearance at the University’s Winter Graduation on Tuesday 3 February at Bath Forum.