Print banner
Print Normal text size Larger text size Largest text size
PrintText Size
Search
Menu line

Chain of Office

Chain of OfficeThe Chain of Office is worn by the Mayor during Council sessions and on other official occasions, including the opening and closing ceremonies of events such as London's hosting of  national and international sports and athletic competitions. When not in use, the Chain of Office may be viewed in the display case on the west side of the City Hall lobby.

Designed and created by Dominion Regalia Limited of Toronto, the City's Coat of Arms is on the large medallion suspended in front of the chain immediately below the Union Jack. At top centre is a medallion of a rose. Laid out on red velvet between the Union Jack and the rose, the medallions are a mirror image of one another to right and left, consisting of:

  • The peony, London's official flower
  • The Coat of Arms of Canada
  • The maple leaf, symbol of Canada
  • London's original Coat of Arms 1840 - its motto Labore et perseverantia may be freely translated as "Through Labour and Perseverence"

Between the medallions, are bars, each one engraved with the name of a Mayor in office since the chain's creation in 1957:

  • Ray Dennis 1955-1957
  • Allan Johnston 1958-1960
  • Gordon Stronach 1961-1967
  • Herb McClure 1968-1971
  • Fred Gosnell 1972
  • Jane Bigelow 1972-1978
  • Al Gleeson 1979-1985
  • Tom Gosnell 1986-1994
  • Dianne Haskett 1995-2000
  • Anne Marie DeCicco-Best 2000 - 2010