COAT OF ARMS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25303, 1 October 1947, Page 8

COAT OF ARMS

DESIGN AND COLOUR CONFUSION

CHRISTCHURCH CITY EMBLEM The history of the coat of arms of the City of Christchurch, which may be remodelled and registered at the Heralds’ College, has long been a mystery. The seal of the Canterbury Association until 1856, when it was adopted by the Provincial Council, has a centre shield very much different from *that of the city’s coat of arms. Thirteen years ago the city’s assistant architect made research into the arms and reported that “it may be necessary to. alter several features wljich are breaches in the heraldic customs,” while there was no record of any colours having befen decided op. What made the research more confusing was that several differences were found between the printed lithographs and the coat of arms at the entrance and over the doorway of the council chambers. The question of colours in the arms arose in 1934 when the New Zealand Government Tourist and Trade Commissioner in Sydney wrote asking for a codv “in colour.” Sir James Hight

reported then that the correct Canterbury colours were maroon and gold; red and black v/as used apparently only for sport and. strictly speaking, were* not correct 1 colours. This is the description of the coat of arms which in the past has been given to all inquirers:— Shield.—Canterbury coat of arms; top scene depicting access to Canterbury Plains through the Lyttelton tunnel; depicting sheepfarming, dairy farming, and agriculture; chevron dividing shield proper. Griffins each side holding shields with motto “Britons Hold Your Own.” Scroll with “City of Christchurch, 1850,” indicating the year the city was founded. , Lower crCßt of leaves on top of shield. The whole surmounted by a crest, composed of a kiwi standing on a wreath of ctflour. The colours used when a coat of arms was seni to Sydney and also to the Wellingtos Public Library in 1941 were:—shield! (d’or), gold; chevron (gules), maloon; animals, brown; shields small, blue and gold cottise; scroll, gold; leaves, etc., green; kiwi, brown on wreath of colour.