Lovely Liverpool

Next on the roster of arms are those of the City of Liverpool. In doing my research, I found some interesting facts on Flagspot , to wit:

"It seems that Liverpool has no flag. The arms are a gold liverbird bearing an olive branch in its mouth on an argent field." -- Ensign & Jack #8, Jaume Ollé, 24 Jan. 2001

Photo courtesy of Floyd Smith Sanford, III

I also found this on Flagspot:

"It is a cormorant on the arms of Liverpool. It was inspired by an American flag with a bald eagle on it, and developed with a hint of the famous Liverpool humour. The "liver birds" are Oliver and Olivia - she looking out to sea waiting for her true love to return, he looking into the city to see if the pubs are open!" -- Valerie Sullivan, 16 June 2004

However, here we see only one of the loving pair -- Oliver or Olivia? -- and two images at the top of the shield: the motto "THY WOPD IS TRUTH" (minus a tile or two on the tail of the "p") and a fine sailing ship. Does anyone know where or when these were first used? Or perhaps the artist of #1 Broadway added them.

A bit of background on the Liverpudlian arms, and another illustration:

thanks to Flagspot

"Carr, 1961, says 'Liverpool's arms date from 1797, when the heralds, having never heard of Litherland close by, were left to choose between the pool of laver - that is, the seaweed Porphyra - and the pool of the liver, a bird unknown to naturalists; and, failing to find a figure of the imaginary bird, they invented a sort of short-necked cormorant, into whose beak they put a couple of fronds of Porphyra in case it was Liverpool after all.

"This very neat instance of heraldic hedging did not, however, meet with the success it deserved, for the old name was discovered to be Litherpool - that is, the sluggish pool - yet the cormorant and the seaweed remain, for they are in the grant.' Carr therefore suggests that cities may use banners of arms." -- Jarig Bakker, 2 Apr. 2002

So, what do YOU think? Does anyone have any more information?

For My Facebook Friends

I just started a new group on Facebook: New York City Heraldry. Log in, join the group, and post your photos of heraldry -- good, bad, surprising -- that you've encountered in the five boroughs. This is an informal group in which we can share our discoveries, questions, and comments.

More soon about Liverpool.

More from England

Here is another lovely example of heraldry from #1 Broadway, in two versions.

First, Plymouth in Manhattan:

Photo courtesy of Floyd Smith Sanford, III

and the full-blown arms of the City of Plymouth thanks to http://www.plymouthdata.info/CoatofArms.htm (complete description at that site):

The motto is 'Turris fortissima est nomen Jehova' translating as "The name of Jehovah is the strongest tower" and is taken from Proverbs.

Nice to see a direct correspondence between the two versions! Next post will deal with the puzzling arms of Liverpool on #1 Broadway. Stay tuned!

Let's Start with New York City

Photo by Floyd Smith Sanford, III

Today, my husband, Sandy Sanford, and I photographed more than a dozen coats of arms -- representing Cunard Line ports of call -- that grace the building at #1 Broadway. I've glanced up at these often but never thought more than "hmm, nice colors!" Now, with a bit more study under my belt, these works mean much more to me.

I will post one or two photos every week along with comments. So -- let's start close to home. The arms above are labeled "New York," but seem to be more of a rendition or interpretation. They (and all of the designs) are executed in mosaic tile; if you look closely, you can see many missing tiles although the total effect is still beautiful.

The arms on #1 Broadway are not quite as elaborate as those that appear on the official city seal:

For a complete description, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/features/greenbook_seal_flag.shtml; on www.nyc.gov.