City of London (United Kingdom)

Last modified: 2005-03-12 by rob raeside
Keywords: cross: saint george | sword | london | greater london authority | lord mayor | london rowing club | tower bridge |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

by Graham Bartram, courtesy of World Flag Database

• Description
• Coat of arms
• Lord Mayor of the City of London
• London County Council
• Greater London Authority
• Port of London Authority
• Kingston-upon-Thames
• Borough of Hackney
• London Rowing Club
• London 2012 Olympics candidate city

See also:

• England
• United Kingdom

This is the flag of the city of London as it appears in Inglefield (1979).
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 26 April 2000

This is the banner of arms of the Corporation of the City of London. Note however that the City of London does not include all of what is commonly known as London, but the ancient city only, from Fleet St eastward ("the Square Mile"), which is now the financial centre of London. Its authority does not extend to the adjacent City of Westminster, nor to the surrounding boroughs, which together constitute Greater London.

Consequently there is a 'Lord Mayor of London' who heads the Corporation, but there will soon be a separate 'Mayor of London' in charge of the whole of Greater London.

You can see the full achievement of the coat of arms of the City at the bottom of the page on www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Andrew Yong, 26 April 2000

The St. George's Cross, red on white, distinguishes a number of civic flags associated with London. That of the city of London bears in the canton, in red, the sword which beheaded St. Paul. On the shield which forms the badge of the Corporation of Lloyd's the Cross and Sword of London City are placed above a foul anchor in gold.
Jarig Bakker, 21 December 1999

From Brewer's famous Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
    Dagger, in the City arms of London, commemorates Sir William Walworth's dagger, with which he slew Wat Tyler in 1381. Before this time the cognisance of the City was the sword of St. Paul.

Brave Walworth, knight, lord mayor, that slew
Rebellious Tyler in his alarmes;
The king, therefore, did give him in lieu
The dagger to the city armes.

Sounds like "fable" in the title of the source is the operative word. It's invariably blazoned as a sword, and this City of London website  notes that the modern arms were in use several months before the incident mentioned in the poem. This strikes me as similar to the urban legend about the way the head of the eagle on the US Presidential) COA faces. Since it was changed shortly after World War II, people assumed the change was connected with the change from war to peace. Since the London seal changed about the same time as Wat Tyler's rebellion, people assumed the change had something to do with Wat Tyler's rebellion.
Joe McMillan, 18 March 2004

Coat of Arms

by James Frankcom

The Arms and symbols of London. The City of London is ancient. Originally Caer Lud named after a mythical Celtic King Lud who is attributed to founding the city in c.130BC. The city was developed into a wealthy port by the Romans but then destroyed by Queen Boudicca of the Iceni in 60AD. Rebuilt again with new city walls in 100AD the city (now known as Londinium) then became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia. The city flourished under the Romans. The Roman legions left Britain in 410AD. The Bishop of London seemed to hold considerable authority over the city at this time which was almost a city state. London was evacuated in 470AD when its defence against the marauding Saxons and Jutes from their base in Kent became impossible. The city was the abandoned and desolate for several centuries. It is said that the original tradesmen and burgers of London were allowed to move back into the mainly destroyed walled city of "Lundonwic". In the 1380 the cross of St. George with the red Sword of St. Paul in the canton was adopted as the city's arms are said to have been adopted. The  current Arms of the City of London with the dragon supporters are an invention of the 17th Century. In 1899 London County Council was established engulfing half of the County of Middlesex and part of Surrey (Southwark). London continued to expand and in 1965 the Greater London Council was formed which engulfed nearly all of Middlesex (causing the complete abolition of the county), large parts of Surrey, Essex and Kent and a small part of Hertfordshire.

by James Frankcom

The GLC was granted arms which were used on all civic documents and flown frequently in flag form from County Hall until its abolition by Margaret Thatcher in 1986. London had no self government at all (apart from the residual square mile City of London) until the present Greater London Authority was established in 2000.
James Frankcom, 13 October 2003

by Graham Bartram, courtesy of World Flag Database

London County Council and Greater London Council

from Port Cities, located by Jan Mertens

From the Port Cities site (National Maritime Museum): The London County Council was formed in 1889. It covered the same area as the former Metropolitan Board of Works, from which it took over control of London's transport infrastructure. It also controlled areas such as education, fire-fighting and sewage disposal. In 1965, the LCC was replaced by the Greater London Council, covering the enlarged Greater London - an amalgamation of the former County of London with the neighbouring districts in Middlesex, Essex, Surrey and Kent. The GLC lasted only 20 years before it was abolished by the Conservative government in 1986. The flag was taken from the LCC sludge boat 'Edward Cruse'.
Jan Mertens, 20 February 2005

Whether or not the GLA will re-adopt the old GLC arms is an interesting question. Probably not, as the government is anxious to stress that the GLA will not be the GLC re-born.
Roy Stilling, 26 April 2000

from www.london.gov.uk, located by Nitesh Dave, 2 July 2000

This is the logo of the newly established Greater London Authority. The authority has recently launched it's own website at www.london.gov.uk. On the title page this logo can be clearly seen behind the newly elected Mayor Ken Livingston.
Nitesh Dave, 2 July 2000

I've been in touch with the Mayor's Office recently about their flag, and the reply was that the London Assembly does not have a flag, and there are no plans to introduce one at the moment.
Ian Sumner, 16 September 2003

Port of London Authority

by Graham Bartram (www.flags.net)

The "Port of London Authority house flag", as shown by Graham Bartram, a St. George's cross, with Port of London Authority seal over it.

by Colin Dobson

This mark appears on the plaques, as pointed out by Graham Bertram, on the north (City of London) side of the bridge only. These are the more recent plaques, commemorating such events as the establishment of the visitors centre in 1995, opened by the present Prince of Wales. The plaques commemorating the opening of the bridge by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, on the south side of the bridge date from the early 1900s and do not feature the symbol. I have not seen it elsewhere on PLA property or boats, but will look for it in future. I have also looked at the PLA web site and it does not feature there, either as a logo or flag. Indeed, they use a completely different logo, not dissimilar to that for the London 2012 Olympic bid.

There are four of these flags on the bridge, at the bottom of either side of each tower, there are four small buildings, atop of which are the flags. Additionally, there are two flags on the side of the western walkway at the top of the bridge, facing upstream. These are the Union flag and the City of London flag. When facing these flags, the Union Flag is on the left and the City of London flag on the right. See my location photograph at the previously referenced web site for a clearer definition.
Colin Dobson, 4 January 2005

from Port Cities, located by Jan Mertens

Described as a 19th Century flag, The Port of London Authority was established in 1909 and was entrusted with the duty of making good any deficiencies in the port’s accommodation, equipment and service both for ships and goods; to carry out all conservancy duties over sixty-nine miles of the tidal Thames and exercise the powers hitherto vested in the Watermen’s Company relative to the registration and licensing of craft and boats as well as lightermen and watermen.
Jan Mertens, 20 February 2005

from Port Cities, located by Jan Mertens

Pennant of the Chairman of the Port of London Authority with a rope and two Inglefield clips attached. The Port of London Authority was established under the Port of London Act in 1908. Pennant by Porter Brothers & Co. Ltd.
Jan Mertens, 20 February 2005

Borough of Hackney

I saw a white flag with a coat of arms flying from the Hackney Town Hall yesterday. I assume it was the flag of the Borough of Hackney, but since I did not get a particularly good view of the flag, and haven't been able to find out anything about the coat of arms of Hackney, I can't confirm this or give any more information.
Jonathan Dixon, 6 October 2003

London Rowing Club

by Ivan Sache

Vertical navy blue and white bars are the racing colours of London Rowing Club, based on the Thames at Putney, the start of the annual boat race.
Lionel Willis, 17 February 2004

London 2012 Olympics candidate city

from London 2012