Coat of Arms
The Rochester Bridge Trust’s coat of arms incorporates the emblems of the Trust’s two founders, the royal lion and the mural crown.
© The coat of arms may not be reproduced for any purpose without the permission of the Rochester Bridge Trust.
The coats of arms of the Trust’s founders, Sir Robert Knolles and Sir John de Cobham, appear in several places in the Bridge Chamber and Bridge Chapel. These ornamental plaster rondelles, originally displayed in the 18th-century Bridge Chamber, now appear above the doorway to the modern Bridge Chamber courtroom.
Above the founders’ badges appears a lion passant guardant or lion walking and facing the viewer to imply vigilance and readiness. The “lion” itself is a traditional symbol of royalty and power, representing the “king of beasts” with strength, courage, and nobility. The symbol is taken from the royal coat of arms of King Richard II, who granted the Letters Patent which founded the Rochester Bridge Trust in 1399. Fittingly, the same symbol appears on the coat of arms of the City of Rochester, recalling that it was once a royal borough.
The crests on the top of both the Trust’s and the City’s coats of arms are known as mural crowns, appearing to be made of blocks of stone. They represent the Trust authority over Rochester Bridge, and the city authority’s responsibility for the rest of Rochester.
For the Rochester Bridge Trust’s Coat of Arms in current use the blazon is as follows:
“Gules, in chief a lion passant Or; in base dexter on a chevron Argent, three roses gules barbed and seeded proper; in sinister on a chevron Or, three lions rampant sable; The shield ensigned by a mural crown Or; mantled Or, doubled Gules upon a wreath Or and Gules.”
The motto – Publica Privatis – can be translated as “from the private to the public” or “public works from private means“.