The coat of arms of the Royal Borough of Greenwich is the official heraldic arms of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Arms were originally granted to this London borough in 1965 but these were replaced in 2012 with a new grant when the borough gained the epithet of "Royal Borough".

Original arms

Arms were originally granted to the London Borough by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

dated 1 October 1965. The hour glass and stars were taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and symbolise the position of the borough as the place from which the standard of time is taken. The three cannon barrels, taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, signify the association of that borough with the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

. These are also the origin of the cannon in the crest of

Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

2012 grant

New arms were granted to replace to borough on 3 January 2012, as it was decided the borough was to become a royal borough that year. Originally, the intention was that the borough would receive the royal epithet on 3 January, but this was postponed by one month to 3 February. Although much of the 1965 design has been retained, the arms have been altered by the addition of a representation of the Thames. The two sixpointed radiated stars from the old arms were replaced by two fivepointed mullets, one

hour glass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

became two and instead of three cannon barrels with a lion's head on each, there is now only one. In addition a crest and supporters were added to the arms: 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 ...

comprises a Tudor Rose and a fouled anchor for royal and maritime connections. The

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...

are two Roman gods: Jupiter (in Greek called Zeus, a name also used in the blazon) and

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

(in Greek called Poseidon, but here the blazon uses the English cognate of the Latin name). According to the homepage of the borough, the supporters wear a mural crown and a naval crown respectively to represent the borough's historic associations with the British Army and Royal Navy; normally, a mural crown is used in heraldry to represent the civil municipal authority of a town or city and is not connected to the military at all. Jupiter is holding an

astrolab An astrolabe ( grc, ἀστρολάβος ; ar, ٱلأَسْطُرلاب ; persian, ستاره‌یاب ) is an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclin ...

of a kind constructed by

Georg Hartmann Georg Hartmann (sometimes spelled Hartman; February 9, 1489 – April 9, 1564) was a German engineer, instrument maker, author, printer, humanist, priest, and astronomer. Early life and studies Hartmann was born in Eggolsheim near Forchheim, p ...

, clearly a symbol for the astronomical studies at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, while Neptune is holding his usual attribute of a trident. The helmet is facing forwards, something which usually is reserved for royal arms. Special dispensation has been given to the royal borough for this use. The same is true for the Tudor rose in the crest, which also is marking the borough's long association with royalty. The motto, 'We govern by serving', has been retained from the old arms.

Meaning

The symbols relate to the Royal Observatory, built in 1675 for the advancement of navigation and nautical astronomy. The ship and anchor on the crest recall the close association with the Royal Navy since the old royal palace was converted to a seamen's hospital, now the Old Royal Naval College.

References

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