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The Mayor’s Badge of Office was designed and
made in 1971. At the time Swanley was a parish council
lying within the rural district of Dartford and had
been part of the Sutton-at-Hone parish council until
1955. These facts together with Swanley’s association
with horticultural and fruit growing, influenced the
composition of the badge of office.
The badge, made from hall-marked sterling silver plated
with gold, is a tri-circular pendant of three apples
and within each one is an enamelled coloured motif.
The top one is the White Horse Rampant of Kent, bottom
right is the Coat of Arms of Dartford Rural District
Council, bottom left is Swanley’s unofficial coat
of arms. It was designed specifically for this badge
and is a black inverted chevron with three red apples
each with two green leaves and is an adaptation of Abraham’
s coat of arms.
Abraham Hill was a most distinguished man connected
with Swanley, one of the founders of the Royal Society
(for the advancement of science) and its first Treasurer.
Mr Hill bought the Manor of St John Jerusalem at Sutton-at-Hone
just after Charles ll came to the throne in 1660 and
introduced apple orchards into this part of Kent choosing
them for the Swanley side of his estate.
From then on Swanley became famous for its apples
and for much of this century it was one of the chief
apple growing districts in England.
Surrounding the enamelled pieces are modelled representations
of apples, pears and cherries to which Swanley owed
its early prosperity, together with dahlias, geraniums
and cyclamen, special strains of which were developed
in local nurseries and gave Swanley its well-deserved
title that for many years was displayed at the railway
station “The Home of Flowers”.
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