Coat of arms of Greater London

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Coat of arms of Greater London
Arms of the Council of Greater London.svg
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Armiger Greater London Authority
Adopted13 November 2025
Shield Barry wavy argent and azure, on a chief gules a Saxon crown Or.
BadgeOn a roundel argent fimbriated gules charged with three bars wavy azure, a torteau thereon a Saxon crown Or.
Predecessor(s) Greater London Council, granted 1 September 1965

The coat of arms of Greater London is that belonging to the Greater London Authority, the strategic authority for Greater London. The upper third of the coat of arms contains a gold "Saxon" crown on a red field, and the lower two-thirds contain alternating blue and white wavy lines. These elements refer respectively to the Saxon origins of London and to its position on the River Thames. The arms were originally created in 1965, when it was granted by the College of Arms to the Greater London Council, the top-tier local authority for Greater London. When the council was abolished in 1986 the arms became defunct, however in 2025 they were transferred to the Greater London Authority.

Contents

History

The Greater London Council was established on 1 April 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, as the top-tier local authority for Greater London. [1] Coats of arms for the new Greater London local authorities were being considered as early as 1963, [2] and following the first elections to the Greater London Council in 1964 the authority made an application to the College of Arms for a grant of arms. [3] The resulting design was approved at a meeting of the council on 6 July 1965, and the arms were granted on 1 September 1965. [4] [5]

As the coat of arms could not legally be used by other organisations in Greater London that wanted to identify their locality, the council was awarded an heraldic badge by the College of Arms on 5 October 1966. [6] Three ceremonial badges were created, fashioned from existing London County Council badges, and were first worn by the chairman, vice-chairman and deputy chairman of the council at a meeting on 25 January 1966. [7]

When the council was abolished in 1986 its coat of arms ceased to be used. [8] The London Fire and Civil Defence Authority applied to the College of Arms in the same year for the transfer of the arms, as the London Fire Brigade had previously used them, but was refused. [8] Instead, a new grant of arms of a similar but distinct design was made on 7 December 1991. [8] [9]

The Greater London Authority was created in 2000 as a new local government body for Greater London, but did not apply for the coat of arms to be transferred to it. [10] In February 2020 the London Assembly, part of the authority, unanimously supported a motion by Tom Copley "to have the Greater London Council's coat of arms transferred to the Greater London Authority". [11] In November 2024 the assembly confirmed its support for the transfer of the arms, [12] and in January 2025 Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, approved the submission of a petition to King Charles III via the College of Arms. [13] The petition was granted in November 2025, and both the arms and badge of the Greater London Council were transferred to the Greater London Authority. [14] [5] [15]

Design

The arms were designed by Anthony Wagner, the Garter Principal King of Arms of the College of Arms. William Fiske, leader of the Greater London Council, and Percy Rugg, leader of the opposition, were consulted on the design. [16] The lower part of the shield has six waved horizontal bars, coloured blue and white. This represents water and the position of London on the River Thames. [16] This device was also seen on the predecessor coat of arms of the London County Council. [17] The upper part is red with a gold Saxon crown, [17] representing London's Saxon origins. [18] This device also appeared on the coat of arms of Middlesex County Council. [19] The coat of arms does not include supporters or a motto. [4]

Blazon

The blazon of the coat of arms is Barry wavy argent and azure, on a chief gules a Saxon crown Or. [20] The blazon of the badge is On a roundel argent fimbriated gules charged with three bars wavy azure, a torteau thereon a Saxon crown Or. [20]

Usage

The Chair of the London Assembly wears the ceremonial badge of office, bearing the coat arms, that was previously used by the Chairman of the Greater London Council. [13]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1963 c. 33
  2. ↑ "Wanted: New coats of arms for mayoral chains". The Evening News and Star. 14 October 1963. p. 4.
  3. ↑ "No motto for GLC but it will have coat-of-arms". Middlesex Chronicle. 11 December 1964. p. 8.
  4. 1 2 "It looked naked says Tory". Middlesex Chronicle. 9 July 1965. p. 11.
  5. 1 2 "Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual". The London Gazette . 2 December 2025. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  6. ↑ Briggs 1971, pp. 13, 184–185.
  7. ↑ "GLC Badges Debut". Middlesex Chronicle. 28 January 1966. p. 9.
  8. 1 2 3 "Burning Issue — GLC Fire Crest". The Hounslow Informer. 5 December 1986. p. 16.
  9. ↑ "Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual". The London Gazette . 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Howe, Megan (8 December 2025). "Mayor of London granted permission to use historic coat of arms". The Standard. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  11. ↑ "Greater London Authority could adopt GLC coat of arms". London SE1. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "MDA No.1659: Letter to the Mayor, Transfer of the GLC's Coat of Arms" (PDF). london.gov.uk. Greater London Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  13. 1 2 Mansfield, Ian (24 January 2025). "Sadiq Khan seeks royal approval to revive the GLC's coat of arms for the GLA's 25th Anniversary". ianVisits. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Mansfield, Ian (2 December 2025). "The King grants the Mayor of London permission to use the GLC's historic coat of arms". ianVisits. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  15. ↑ Craig, Harry (8 December 2025). "Sadiq Khan allowed to use Greater London Council coat of arms". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  16. 1 2 "New London has a coat of arms at last". The Evening News and Star. 1 July 1965. p. 7.
  17. 1 2 "GLC adopt coat of arms". Weekly Herald. 9 July 1965. p. 4.
  18. ↑ Daily Telegraph Reporter (2 July 1965). "Coat of arms shows links with Thames". The Daily Telegraph. p. 15.
  19. ↑ "GLC coat of arms". Middlesex Chronicle. 9 July 1965. p. 16.
  20. 1 2 Briggs 1971, pp. 184–185.

Sources

  • Briggs, Geoffrey (1971). Civic & corporate heraldry: a dictionary of impersonal arms of England, Wales, & N. Ireland. London: (10 Beauchamp Place, S.W.3), Heraldry Today. pp. 13, 184–185. ISBN   0900455217.
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