The coat of arms of the London Borough of Croydon is the official heraldic arms of the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...

, granted on 10 December 1965. The borough was created by uniting the

County Borough of Croydon The County Borough of Croydon was a local government district in and around the town of Croydon in north east Surrey, England from 1889 to 1965. Since 1965 the district has been part of the London Borough of Croydon within Greater London. Hi ...

(granted arms in 1886) and the

Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Coulsdon and Purley Urban District was a local government district in northeast Surrey from 1915 to 1965. The local authority was Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council. The former area of the district is now mostly part of the London Borough ...

(granted arms in 1953), and the coat of arms were created by using charges from the heraldry of these old entities. The black cross is a cross flory, which means each arms is terminating in the shape of a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

. The cross is surmounted by five gold discs, so called

bezant In the Middle Ages, the term bezant (Old French ''besant'', from Latin ''bizantius aureus'') was used in Western Europe to describe several gold coins of the east, all derived ultimately from the Roman ''solidus''. The word itself comes from th ...

s. This cross was present in the arms of the County Borough of Croydon, to which it had been derived from the arms of

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

, who was a benefactor of the town of Croydon, where three schools form part of his foundation. The crossed swords refer to

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and the crossed keys to St. Peter refer to the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul of Chertsey, which was granted the Manor of Coulsdon in the year 727. The keys were also present in the crest of the arms of Coulsdon and Purley and they also refer to the Abbey of St. Peter of Winchester (later renamed

Hyde Abbey Hyde Abbey was a medieval Benedictine monastery just outside the walls of Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was dissolved and demolished in 1538 following various acts passed under King Henry VIII to dissolve monasteries and abbeys (see Diss ...

), owner of the Manor of Sanderstead from 964. The

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later th ...

is a common heraldic symbol for local municipal authority in a town or city. Out of the crown comes a heraldic fountain, a symbol for water, in this case the source of the

River Wandle The River Wandle is a right-bank tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. With a total length of about , the river passes through the London boroughs of London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, London Borough of Sutton, Sutton, Londo ...

in particular. The fountain is surrounded by a branch of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and a branch of

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

, for the Purley oak and Purley beech, significant trees in the area which were also present in the Coulsdon and Purley coat of arms. The supporters are a black lion and a silver horse. The lion comes from the arms of Coulsdon and Purley and is again a reference to Hyde Abbey. The horse is from the arms of the

Earls of Surrey Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror. It is currently held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Norfo ...

, since the two merged entities were situated in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

before becoming part of Greater London. Croydon was never a constituent part of the County Council area of Surrey, but only of the historic county. Surrey County Council and The County Borough of Croydon (granting the borough county status) both occurred because of the Local Government Act of 1888 and implemented on 1 April 1889. Coulsdon and Purley UDC was a constituent of the old Surrey County Council. The supporters wear collars, each with a cross formy fitchy. These crosses are from the coat of arms of the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest see of the Church of England. The ''Report ...

, again recalling the association with the see through the

Croydon Palace Croydon Palace, in Croydon, now part of south London, was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years. Regular visitors included Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I. Now known as "Old Palace", the buildings are still in us ...

, and three crosses like these were displayed in the coat of arms of the former county borough. The motto ''Ad summa nitamur'' is Latin for "Let us strive for perfection".Civic Heraldry of England and Wales: Croydon lb
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References

{{London Borough of Croydon , state=collapsed

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

London Borough of Croydon

See also

References