Saturday, July 22, 2006

The Right to Bear Arms


Arms, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

was granted in 1575. The heraldic description can be found here but isn't really worth reading. MInd you, it's going to be better than any description of this which is the Coat of Arms of Heidelberg with which Cambridge is twinned. They also have a very old prestigious university - founded in 1386. My favourite drug, nicotine, was discovered to be the cause of my (ex-)love of tobacco there in 1828. This picture shows the city's coat of arms as placed on the Guildhall in the marketplace in the city centre. The building sits just on the boring side of hideous and was constructed in 1936. That page notes "The only reason most people would go inside is to visit the planning application department" which is ironic considering that's where they should have gone to object to it being built. More interesting though is that the bricks from the old guildhall were bought and used to build "Mount Blow" (latterly South Hill House - recently sold for £2,000,000 no picture available sadly but it was great) by TC Lethbridge, keeper of Anglo-Saxon antiquities at the University who later become a controversial psychic researcher. Excellent.