Visitors to Soulton Hall often ask why the flag of the City of London—the white field with the red cross of Saint George and the upright sword of Saint Paul—flies so proudly here.
City of London Falg, Soulton Hall
To understand this banner, one must look past modern labels to its deeper symbolic roots. The Red Cross on the White Field—the Cross of Saint George—is anciently understood as the Flag of the Resurrection. In the visual language of the medieval and Renaissance world, this is the banner held by Christ as He steps from the tomb, representing the triumph of light and the renewal of the world. At first glance, seeing it fly over a Shropshire estate might seem a geographical curiosity.
However, for those who know the history of this house, that flag represents a bridge across five centuries, connecting the rural heart of Shropshire to the ancient square mile of the capital. It marks Soulton as a place of “Re-birth”—a sanctuary where the wisdom and “soul” of London were preserved for a new age.
The Lord Mayor’s House
The most direct link is Sir Rowland Hill. In 1549, Sir Rowland became the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London. He was a man of immense influence, a merchant prince, and a diplomat who served on the Privy Councils of four Tudor monarchs.
Sir Rowland Hill – holding Maga Carta and gesturing at Soulton Hall (1790s monument)
When Sir Rowland built the current Soulton Hall in the 1550s, he did not just build a home; he built a “theatre of memory.”
He brought the intellectual and civic spirit of London with him to Shropshire.
Erkenwald: The “Saint Paul” of the English
The sword on the flag is the symbol of Saint Paul, but in an English context, it is inseparable from Saint Erkenwald.
St Erkenwald in a medieval window at Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
As Bishop of London in 675 AD, Erkenwald was the “Architect of the English Church.” He transformed London into a spiritual center and enlarged the original Saint Paul’s Cathedral. In many ways, Erkenwald is a sort of “Saint Paul for the English.” Just as the Apostle Paul established the early Church in Rome, Erkenwald established the moral and civic foundation of London.
A Visual Echo of the Basilica
There is a profound visual similarity between the lost shrine of Erkenwald in Old Saint Paul’s and the great basilica of Saint Paul in Rome.
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- The lost Shrine of Erkenwald
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- Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Recent research suggests that when the religious turbulence of the sixteenth century threatened London’s heritage, Sir Rowland Hill used Soulton as a “safe haven.” Thearchitecture of Soulton Hall appear to echo the proportions of those lost London monuments which in turn pull form St Paul’s monument.
Where Centuries Meet
We fly the City of London flag—particularly on days like the Lord Mayor’s Show —to honor a “civilized consensus.” It is a reminder of a time when and the “Light of London” (Erkenwald) represented a unified cultural vision. The flag serves as a reminder that even in times of great national division, places like Soulton stood as sanctuaries for harmony, culture, and shared history.
When you see the red sword of the City flag catching the Shropshire wind, know that it is a salute to a long-standing friendship—one that has kept the history of our capital safe when it needed to be somewhere quiet.
View from roof of St Paul’s
