The coat of arms of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham was granted to the then London Borough of Hammersmith on 1 March 1965, but the motto changed languages in 1969. The subsequent change of names to

Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham. The borou ...

on 1 January 1980 did not affect the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

. The wavy lines in the main field of the shield is taken from the coat of arms of the former

Metropolitan Borough of Fulham The Metropolitan Borough of Fulham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith to form the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was a riverside ...

and is a symbol for the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and its water. The hammers and horseshoe are a pun on the name of Hammersmith and comes from the coat of arms of the former

Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith Hammersmith was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was formed as a civil parish in 1834 from the chapelry of Hammersmith that had existed in the ancient parish of Fulham, Middlesex since 1631. The parish was grouped wit ...

. There were also horseshoes in the arms of Sir Nicholas Crispe, Bt, whose works in Hammersmith in the 17th century contributed significantly to the growth of the town. The red chief has charges from the coat of arms of the former Fulham arms. The crossed swords are taken from the coat of arms of the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

and the

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

stands for the Bishop of London, since the Parishes of Fulham and Hammersmith used to constitute a manor belonging to the bishop. The

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

under the

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

is in silver and sanguine and the sail, flags and pennons on the Viking ship in the crest are also in sanguine.

Sanguine Sanguine () or red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown colour, so called because it resembles the colour of dried blood. It has been popular for centuries for drawing (where white chalk only works on coloured paper). The word comes via French fr ...

, a deep, dark red colour, is not a common colour in heraldry and is rightly not even a colour but a "

stain A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

". Why there is sanguine in these arms are not officially explained but perhaps because of the old arms of Hammersmith which, though

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

ed red (gules), used to be depicted in a deep pink colour, or perhaps signifying the bloodthirst of the Vikings. The mantling has the blue and silver tinctures of Fulham. The crest consists of a

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 ...

, a common heraldic symbol for a town or a city, and the aforementioned ship, which was brought from the former arms of Fulham and signifies the 879 AD landing of Danish Vikings at what now is Fulham. The supporters are male

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

s, their gender easily spotted since they are wingless, whereas female griffins, which are more common beasts in heraldry, have wings. The griffins are irradiated or, which means they have bursts of golden rays coming out from their bodies. They may symbolize dynamism or vigilance. The griffins have a

cross crosslet A number of cross symbols were developed for the purpose of the emerging system of heraldry, which appeared in Western Europe in about 1200. This tradition is partly in the use of the Christian cross an emblem from the 11th century, and increasi ...

and an escallop shell respectively hanging around their necks. The cross is from the coat of arms of

Edward Latymer Edward Latymer (1557–1627) was a wealthy merchant and official in London. His will established both Latymer Upper School and The Latymer School and is associated with Godolphin and Latymer School. Life Edward was the older son of William L ...

, who died in 1626 and left lands for the benefit of the poor in Hammersmith and for the education of poor boys. The escallop is for George Pring, a surgeon in Hammersmith who projected the first

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

over the Thames, but he died three years before the project was completed in 1827. This suspension bridge contributed greatly to the town's development, opening for new markets on both sides of the river; it was replaced by a new suspension bridge at the same site in 1887, the still standing, present Hammersmith Bridge. In the coat of arms of the former Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith, the cross crosslet and the escallop shell were used as charges on the shield. The original motto of 1965 was 'judge by our labour', but in 1969 the borough changed this to the present "''

spectemur agendo Spectemur Agendo is a Latin motto meaning ''Let us be judged by our acts''. Sources It comes originally from Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses (poem), Metamorphoses where it is attributed to the hero Ajax the Great, Ajax: ''Denique (quid verbis opu ...

''", Latin for the same phrase, even if the borough officially translates it as 'let us be judged by our actions'. The Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith had used the same motto in Latin too.Civic Heraldry of England and Wales: Hammersmith and Fulham lb
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Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Fulham and Hammersmith

Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith.svg, Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham.svg, Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham

References

{{LB Hammersmith and Fulham, state=collapsed

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Fulham and Hammersmith

See also

References