http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF... 04,,1,-10.82

9 o'clock is clearly the City of London, and I think the bullseye is the
United Kingdom, but what are the others?
7 o'clock looks a little bit like Essex, but why would the arms of Essex be
on Hammersmith Bridge?
3 o'clock might be Richmond, but why Richmond, when the south bank was in
the borough of Barnes when the bridge was built?

On Jul 14, 1:31*am, "Basil Jet"
wrote:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF...33524&spn=0,35...

9 o'clock is clearly the City of London, and I think the bullseye is the
United Kingdom, but what are the others?
7 o'clock looks a little bit like Essex, but why would the arms of Essex be
on Hammersmith Bridge?
3 o'clock might be Richmond, but why Richmond, when the south bank was in
the borough of Barnes when the bridge was built?

It seems to include some of the counties which border the Thames - at
least, you've already said there's Essex as 7 o'clock, and 11 o'clock
is Kent (Invicta - the 'orse). The centre is indeed the Royal Coat of
Arms of the UK. I was going to suggest that 3 o'clock might be
Parliament - but actually it does look like Richmond. Note that Barnes
Urban District (later to become the Municipal Borough thereof) was
formed in 1894, after the bridge was opened in 1887, so the south side
may in fact have been part of Richmond 'something' (parish, perhaps?).

Any particular reason why the bridge became an IRA 'favourite'?

In article 9710ba9e-37e8-4daa-8112-a2273b3d1a74
@g23g2000vbr.googlegroups.com, says...

On Jul 14, 1:31*am, "Basil Jet"
wrote:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF...33524&spn=0,35...

9 o'clock is clearly the City of London, and I think the bullseye is the
United Kingdom, but what are the others?
7 o'clock looks a little bit like Essex, but why would the arms of Essex be
on Hammersmith Bridge?
3 o'clock might be Richmond, but why Richmond, when the south bank was in
the borough of Barnes when the bridge was built?

It seems to include some of the counties which border the Thames - at
least, you've already said there's Essex as 7 o'clock, and 11 o'clock
is Kent (Invicta - the 'orse). The centre is indeed the Royal Coat of
Arms of the UK. I was going to suggest that 3 o'clock might be
Parliament - but actually it does look like Richmond. Note that Barnes
Urban District (later to become the Municipal Borough thereof) was
formed in 1894, after the bridge was opened in 1887, so the south side
may in fact have been part of Richmond 'something' (parish, perhaps?).

Any particular reason why the bridge became an IRA 'favourite'?

3 o'clock looks like Westminster

... but why would the arms of
Essex be on Hammersmith Bridge?

It seems to include some of the counties which border the Thames - at
3 o'clock looks like Westminster

I think the whole thing may be the [main members of the] Metropolitan
Board of Works. There's something the same or very similar on at least
some of the old pumping stations.

--
R

In message , Basil Jet
writes

7 o'clock looks a little bit like Essex, but why would the arms of Essex be
on Hammersmith Bridge?

It's actually Middlesex - the two counties had the same coat of arms
until 1910, when a crown was added to the Middlesex version.
--
Paul Terry

On Jul 14, 10:26*am, Paul Terry wrote:

In message , Basil Jet
writes

7 o'clock looks a little bit like Essex, but why would the arms of Essex be
on Hammersmith Bridge?

It's actually Middlesex - the two counties had the same coat of arms
until 1910, when a crown was added to the Middlesex version.

Aha! Yes, I had specifically checked up on the Middlesex coat of arms,
but discounted it as a possibility as it was lacking a crown.

Mizter T wrote:

Any particular reason why the bridge became an IRA 'favourite'?

I stood beneath it yesterday.... I found out that the "wooden bridge"
feeling you get when you drive over it is not an illusion. I think a bag of
sparklers would bring it down.

Mizter T wrote:


Any particular reason why the bridge became an IRA 'favourite'?

Long IRA interest in West London, possibly because of a large ex-pat
community (see also the Ealing and BBC bombs in 2001 and the shooting of
PC Tibble in Barons Court in 1975).

Tom

I think the whole thing may be the [main members of the] Metropolitan
Board of Works. There's something the same or very similar on at least
some of the old pumping stations.

That would make a lot of sense. The City of London, City of Westminster,
and counties of Middlesex and Kent would certainly seem to be represented.
There would seem to be a lack of representation of Surrey which might
perhaps be a clue to where the remaining two arms might be from.

G.

There would seem to be a lack of representation of
Surrey which might perhaps be a clue to where the remaining two arms
might be from.

Yes. And of Essex if it were the MBW.

It's been nagging at me so I've dug around a bit more.

I'm pretty sure that 1 o'clock is Guildford (the county town of Surrey).
I've not found details of them as they were when the bridge was
commissioned but the former Borough Council's arms were very similar and
incorporated a castle with 3 towers between 2 woolpacks. See
http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/surrey_ob.html

5 o'clock seems similarly to be the county town of Essex - Colchester.
See http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/east_anglia_essex.html

I can understand why they used Colchester's as the arms of Essex
duplicated Middlesex's. But I haven't been able to find a reason for
not using Surrey's (assuming there was such a thing).

--
R