Carved painted and gilded coat of arms of the South Sea Company (the original grant of arms 31st October 1711). The arms on a cartouche: Azure, a globe, whereon are represented the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn all proper and in sinister chief point two herrings haurient in saltire argent crowned or, in a canton the united arms of Great Britain of the second. Crest: A ship of three masts in full sail. Supporters: Dexter, the emblematic figure of Britannia, with the shield, lance etc all proper; sinister, a fisherman completely clothed, with cap boots fishing net etc and in his hand a string of fish, all proper. The company was formed to sell enslaved Africans to Spanish America, but the trade never flourished as anticapted. After a period of frenzied speculation, which saw people borrow heavily to invest, the price of stock collapsed in 1720, leaving many bankrupt and ruined. The company continued to occupy the same premises until 1855 when the building housing the company board room was purchased and occupied by the Oriental Bank Corporation. The father of the original lender, William Davidson was Assistant Manager of the bank.