The City of London’s relationship with heraldry is a unique one, since it is home to the oldest civic arms of any town or city in the United Kingdom, and the oldest corporate arms still in use to this very day.

Each of the City’s many Livery Companies proudly displays their arms in an array of heraldry that blends the old with the new from heraldic banners to social media avatars.

Heraldry in the City of London is at once spectacularly ancient and ultra modern. Far from being an arcane subject relegated to history, there has been more growth in City heraldry in the past 50 years than in the previous 500.

There are just two books on the Heraldry of the City's Livery Companies; the first was published in the 1960s and covers the period from 1439 to 1959; the second covers the period 1960-2018 illustrating how much has changed in living memory.

This talk and presentation will explore some of the quirks, history, humour and usage of Livery Company heraldry in the Square Mile.