11 JANUARY 1992, Page 21

A bit of a lad

SIR NATHANIEL Westminster is the paterfamilias of the the National Westmin- ster Bank's herd of pottery pigs. Children would collect them — a new pig for every £20 in their savings accounts, beginning with the junior piglet, Woody, and going on to Annabel (demure), Lady Hilary (matronly) and a bouncy-looking pig with an engaging smirk called Maxwell. Maxwell? Named — surely not — after one of NatWest's biggest customers, 46 years with the bank and never a cross word until it was too late? A clue could be found in the leaflet that went to young savers, accompanying the pigs. 'Maxwell', it revealed, 'is a bit of a lad.'