Flag of Greater Manchester
The Banner of Greater Manchester former county council is an unofficial, said to be the flag of the metropolitan county[1] of Greater Manchester in England.[2] It is not registered with the Flag Institute, which will not register flags for counties other than for historic counties.[3] As it has not been adopted as a county flag, it is not covered by the flags legislation. Since 1986 the design has been owned by the crown, not by the county council that has been abolished since 1986.
 | |
| Proportion | 3:5 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | Never as an official county flag |
| Design | Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or |
History
The flag was adopted by Greater Manchester County Council in 1974, and derives from the shield and crest design on the coat of arms of Greater Manchester; the design itself is used by a number of organisations that represent the Greater Manchester area, such as the former Greater Manchester County Council, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and the Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force, all of which use ten golden towers on a red background to represent the ten metropolitan boroughs.
Description
The flag is composed of ten golden castles (arranged in rows of 3–2–3–2) on a red background, fringed by a golden border in the style of a castle battlement. The blazon is: "Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or".
The ten golden castles represent both the urban landscape of Greater Manchester, and its division in to its ten metropolitan districts: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Trafford, Salford, Stockport, and Wigan. The red ground represents manpower and the region's red-brick architectural heritage, both legacies of Greater Manchester's industrial past. The embattled border represents the unity and shared future of the region, and its bold, vigilant and forward-looking character.
Usage
The flag currently flies in front of the National Rail offices at Manchester Piccadilly railway station, and in front of Rochdale Town Hall.
References
- "UK counties and unitary administrations as at 2009" (pdf). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
- "Greater Manchester". County Flags. Flying Colours Flagmakers. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
- "Criteria for inclusion in the Flag Registry". The Flag Institute. Archived from the original on 2013-02-06.
In the case of county flags, the flag must normally apply to a historical county rather than a modern administrative area