What does "Arms" mean?

Question

This is in reference to buildings. I have read many books, mostly British, where apartment buildings, pubs/taverns, etc. have "Arms" in their names; for instance, The Bradford Arms. Arms seems to be usually associated with apartments and hotels. What does it mean when used like this and does anyone know how this started?

Answer 1

It is just a 'lay person's' reference to the Heradric device (Coat of Arms) that would have been placed on the front of the building in medieval times, but which has since been replaced with the building's name written in English.
Eg. "Carlton Arms" is a building named after someone named 'Carlton'.