Cambridge City Council Coat-of-Arms - Market Hill, Cambridge, UK
N 52° 12.300 E 000° 07.151
31U E 303155 N 5787751
This Cambridge City Council coat-of-arms is attached to the north west face of the Guildhall in Market Hill in Cambridge.
Waymark Code: WMQVTJ
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/02/2016
Views: 1
The coat-of-arms are beautifully crafted in metal, possibly bronze, and are attached to the first floor railings of the Guildhall over the entrance door. The shield and its components are painted in red, white, gold and blue.
The Civic Heraldry website tells us about the coat-of-arms of Cambridge City Council:
ARMS: Gules a Bridge of one arch surmounted by three Towers Or in chief a Fleur-de-Lys Gold between two Roses Argent the base barry way of the last and Azure thereon three Ships each with one mast and yardarm the sail furled also Sable.
CREST: On a Wreath Or and Gules upon a Mount Vert a Bridge in the form of a castle with two Ports and three domed Towers and between the Towers two Turrets also domed Argent.
SUPPORTERS: On either side a Sea Horse the upper parts Gules the nether part proper finned Or.
Granted 7th June 1575, and recorded at the Visitation of 1684.
The city owes its name and early development to the bridge at the farthest navigable part of the River Granta or Cante, now Cam. The ships and sea-horses are unusual for an inland town, but historically Cambridge derived much prosperity from river-borne traffic from the coast. The fleur-de-lys and roses are royal and national emblems, they emphasise the privileges granted by many kings over the centuries.
The crest, though described as a bridge in the record, is more like a castle, and perhaps the intention was to represent a fortified bridge in allusion to the fact that Cambridge Castle stood on the hill just above the point at which the bridge crossed the river.
The arms reproduce certain features of a 15th century seal bearing bridge over a stream and above the bridge two angels supporting a shield of the then Royal Arms (France and England quarterly).
The Guildhall is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website telling us:
Town Hall. 1936-37 and 1946-48 by C. Cowles-Voysey, job architect J. Brandon-Jones. U-shaped on plan. Grey brick laid in Flemish bond. North front of5 storeys. 9-window range, the centre 7 window bays projecting. Rusticated stone basement storey. Central projecting stone doorcase containing double bronze doors with glazing. First-floor balcony carried on paired scrolled brackets, and fitted with bronze railings. Fenestration throughout of 3-light bronze casements set within minimal raised surrounds. Below attic storey is a cornice with a coffered soffit carrying a plain parapet pierced at intervals by balustrading. Attic storey set back, with 6 windows as before. Flat roof not visible. West front is a 14-window range, the centre 6 windows with a bronze first-floor balcony on paired scrolled brackets. 2 double doors in this centrepiece. S elevation is a single-window range.
INTERIOR. From entrance hall 2 dog-leg marble staircases rise right and left to principal floor. Lower newels carry bronze sea-horses. Upper newels in form of 2 bronze plinths with high-relief representations of animals, fruit and vegetables (the fruits of the sea and earth). Coffered staircase ceiling. Council Chamber heralded by 2 twin and 2 single octagonal columns with stylised bronze Ionic capitals. Coffered ceiling to Council Chamber, leather panels to walls, oak benches and platform. Small Hall on first floor: 2 storeys high; 5 clerestory windows under round arches, barrel-vaulted roof, wall pilasters with block entablatures. Committee Rooms 1 and 2 and Members' Room on first floor all walnut-lined. Court rooms also have original fittings.