70. Happy New Year! 31 December 2018

On this the very last day of 2018 I would like to take the opportunity of wishing all members of the Company, their families and friends all the very best for 2019. The past year has been one of many ups and downs, both within the Company and in the wider world and many will be glad to see the back of it. No one has a crystal ball for the future but one thing is certain for 2019 – it will be another tumultuous year! So many things it seems are beyond our control so my philosophy has always been not to worry about these matters but to focus on what you can influence and put your energies into that. The world is still a fantastic place full of fantastic people!

Enjoy the party tonight (whatever you get up to!) and I send you every good wish for 2019!

69. Carols by Candlelight, 18 December 2018

After what had already been a busy day there remained one more important event; to represent the Company at the annual Carols by Candlelight at St Mary-at-Hill. It was a privilege therefore to accompany the Mistress and several other members of the Court to take part in this wonderful service.

Led as ever by Rose Hudson-Wilkins (now an Honorary Freeman of the Company! – see Blog No 67) the service was a collection of favourite carols interspersed with readings from the Old Testament and the Gospels, all telling the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus in Bethlehem. One has heard theses stories so many times before but one is always moved by them and the in the simple setting of a church by candlelight it was doubly so. It is the central part of Christmas and the most important.

The St Marys’ organ and its choir (three baritones; three sopranos) led the singing which was joyous. As Master I was invited to read the fifth lesson (Matthew Chapter 2 v. 1-11) which tells of the wise men and the star. The sermon was very thought provoking and in it the Rev’d Rose urged us to shun the trappings of a commercialised Christmas and to focus on its true meaning of love and caring. It was a powerful message and so passionately delivered. 

After a moment of pray and reflection the final carol of Hark! the Herald Angels Sing rang out and the service was over. Mince pies followed and one felt that Christmas had well and truly started!

A wonderful way to end the formal Livery events of 2018.

68. Lady Mayoress Private Lunch, 18 December 2018

Should she need one, the Mistress had the perfect excuse not to attend the Company’s Christmas Lunch as she had been invited to dine with the Lady Mayoress. Her sense of loyalty was severely tested but in the end, common sense prevailed – when else would one be as privileged to receive such an invitation?! And so, dressed in her best bib and tucker the Mistress made her way to the Mansion House to join some 17 other Consorts to have lunch.

Welcomed in her private apartments the guests enjoyed a glass of champagne in the sitting room. The Mayoress is the perfect host and made everyone very welcome and the conversation flowed. There followed a brief tour of the private ballroom (!) and some of the bedrooms. Lodging in the Mansion House for one’s year of office as Lord and Lady Mayoress must be a very surreal experience with all the grandeur it entails; ‘make the most of it’ must be the mantra!

After a delicious two course lunch the party then descended to the Plate Room in the basement to see at first hand the amazing gold and silverware presented to generations of Lord Mayors over the years (see picture). Quite something to behold and many of them priceless. Alas they are seldom on public display due to their value and rarity but it was amazing to be given the chance to see them.

And then it was over and the Lady Mayoress bade farewell and wished all a very Merry Christmas. The Mistress then crossed to road to the Guildhall to join the remains of the Water Conservator Lunch. What a day!

67. Christmas Court Lunch, 18 December 2018

Following directly on from the Christmas Court and the unveiling of the Blue Plaque (see Blog No 66) came the Christmas Court Lunch. We all felt we had earned this after the exertions of the morning so it was very pleasing to be able to relax and enjoy the surroundings of the Members Dining Room and the hospitality of the Guildhall catering team!

After a glass of “Christmas Cheer” some 34 of us took our places around the table, resplendent with Christmas decorations and crackers. Grace was said by the Company Chaplain (see below) and the meal commenced.

However, just before the smoked salmon I had a very special duty to perform, namely that of admitting the Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkins as Freeman of the Company. Rose has long been a good friend, is the Company’s Chaplain and is also the Priest in Charge at St-Mary-at-Hill, the Companys church. In addition, she is Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen, amongst other duties. It was therefore a great privilege to able to welcome her – and her husband Ken Wilkins – into the Company and present to her with the blue tear drop and certificate. Lunch then followed.

After the Loyal and Civic Toasts, I was pleased to formally welcome our many guests and to toast them in water (as is our tradition). I also took the opportunity to thank members for their hard work on behalf of the Company during the year and to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

A lovely way to end the year and in such good company. The only person missing was the Mistress who had another engagement – lunch with the Lady Mayoress no less! But her event finished before ours so she was able to join us in time for coffee and add her own thanks and best wishes to everyone before they departed.

Pictures show the Master in full flow and the Chaplain receiving her certificate.

66. Christmas Court and Blue Plaque Unveiling, 18 December 2018

Our Christmas Court meeting was held in the Alderman’s Dining Room at the Guildhall and was well attended by members of the Court. As is the norm at Christmas, the agenda was relatively short although there are always a number of issues that need to be discussed and matters requiring approval and these were duly dealt with. I was particularly keen to keep to the clock as we had an important duty to perform that morning; namely the unveiling a Blue Plaque to mark the course of the River Fleet on Fleet Street.

Having closed the Court, we assembled in the Reception area and the Master, Clerk and Wardens donned their robes. We were joined by Sheriff the Honourable Elizabeth Green who was to perform the ceremony and so we, together with other Past Masters, members of the Court and Consorts, were escorted by the Beadle through the streets of London to our destination, 81 Fleet Street – currently a branch of Barclays Bank. It was here that the Blue Plaque had been erected.

The historic importance of the water conduits in the City had not been recognised until the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators, principally through efforts of Past Master Ted Flaxman, initiated the erection of the first Blue Plaque in Aldermanbury in December 2010. The second marking the “Great Conduit" in Cheapside (outside Tesco’s) followed in December 2014. This was to be the third Blue Plaque and it marks the end of “The Fleet Conduit”.

After a few words of welcome from me, the unveiling was performed by the Sherriff with suitable aplomb and a short speech was given. Photographs then followed, one from a very excited member of the Barclays staff who witnessed our presence! That done, we made our way back to the Guildhall, just about keeping dry despite the threatening skies.

A very successful event and we are proud to have been able to make a permanent reminder of the importance of water in the City. Thank you to Liz Green for her time.

65. “A City Scrooge”, 17 December 2018

In aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, the Egyptian Room at the Mansion House was the setting for “A City Scrooge” performed by the renowned actor, Simon Callow. As keen fans of Charles Dickens, the Mistress and I were pleased to attend.

On arrival we were offered “Scrooge’s refreshments” – a glass of cold water and a dry biscuit. Not quite the standard one expects at the Mansion House but very much in keeping with the theme of the evening! We then took our places to await the entertainment.

After a few words of welcome from the Lord Mayor, Mr Callow took to the rostrum. What followed was a virtuoso performance from one of the UK’s finest actors and – without any shadow of a doubt – an unashamed Dickens expert. Starting first with a brief background to his early life, his very poor upbringing and periods of the utmost poverty (his father was in a debtor’s prison for a while) Mr Callow went on the describe how A Christmas Carol came to be written and the motivation behind it.

Dickens it seems was a man very much aware of the social injustice of the Victorian world and the great divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-not’s’. His moral compass was well tuned, partly as a result of his childhood. Whilst not a Socialist in the accepted sense, he was scrupulous in regarding everyone as an equal and no one was worthy of better treatment than anyone else. These are themes that echo across every page of the novel.

Mr Callow then went on to read large portions of the story, assuming each character with utmost finesse and charm. It was a scintillating experience and done with such style and aplomb. The audience were captivated.

After what seemed only a few minutes but was in fact an hour, Mr Callow left the room to rapturous applause. Then followed the more familiar hospitality of the Lord Mayor with a drink’s reception and canapés. There was also a prize raffle and a chance to purchase some Lord Mayor endorsed products, all proceeds of which went to his three charities – Place2Be, OnSide and the Samaritans.

A wonderful evening and our thanks must go to the Lord Mayor and his team but especially to Simon Callow. Bah Humbug!

64. Consorts Visit to Kensington Palace, 12 December 2018

The Mistress had always wanted to visit Kensington Palace, not only to see the wonderful building and all the history it contains, but also to see the ‘Diana Dresses’ exhibition. On talking to other Consorts in the Company she found that they did too so she organised a visit. And what a lovely day they had!

We are very lucky in having as a Court Assistant Christine Jarvis who is a London Blue Badge Guide and as such gave them their own private tour of the Palace and exhibition. As a party of 12 they could move easily amongst the displays and ask questions of Christine. She answered every one and more!

If you haven’t been then the Mistress strongly advise you to do so; it’s fascinating. The dresses are but one of the very interesting things to see at the Palace and a two-hour tour hardly did justice to all that history. A wonderful visit.

But after all that culture and it being near Christmas there was only one thing that could follow – lunch at the Ivy Brasserie down the road! A lovely meal and in such great company. Well done girls!

63. Walbrook Ward Club Banquet, 4 December 2018

The 209^th Anniversary Banquet of the Walbrook Ward Club was this year held in the Saddlers’ Hall on Gutter Lane and as a member, I was pleased to attend along with the Mistress. We were delighted to be joined by Past Masters Peter Hall and Mike Williamson and their Consorts and by our Fleet Warden Rob Casey, all of whom are also members of the Club. Together with approximately 150 other guests, we filled the Great Hall to capacity and made for a very pleasant evening.

Founded in 1809, the Walbrook is one of the oldest Ward Clubs in the City. The ward of Walbrook itself covers an area broadly situated around Bank Underground Station and membership of it was originally for those who either worked or lived within its precinct. However, membership nowadays is open much more widely and comprises a diverse and thriving network of people from the business world as well as the Livery.  The Alderman of Walbrook Ward John Garbutt KFO JP is also the Clubs’ President and was the principle speaker on the night.

After a short drinks’ reception in the Court Room we were called to dinner by the Beadle and awaited the Presidents procession. Catering was courtesy of Party Ingredients who put on a wonderful dinner which was expertly served. A Loving Cup was offered and the musical interlude was given by the London Banqueting Ensemble who treated us to some amazing trumpet playing – where do they get their energy from?!

The Loyal Toasts were proposed by the Chairman Stuart Graves and the President made a speech of welcome to all the guests. Responding on their behalf, Brigadier Peter Sharpe gave a most amusing speech about the perils of living in “deepest Wiltshire” and the trials of owning sheep! A good way to end the dinner and a memorable evening.

Our thanks must therefore go to the Master Saddler for the use of his Hall and also to the catering staff and the officers of the Walbrook Ward Club. Thank you.

62. Environmental Cleaners Banquet, 30 November 2018

The Skinners’ Hall on Dowgate was the setting for the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners Ladies Charity Banquet and it was a great pleasure for the Mistress and I to be invited to attend. We joined some seventy or so members of the Company and their guests for a black-tie event and had a wonderful evening.

The present Skinners’ Hall (my first visit) is a charming hall which dates back to the time of the Fire of London. The original Skinners’ Hall – known in those days as the Copped Hall – has stood on this site since the 13^th century but alas was consumed by fire in 1666. The current incarnation has a lovely minstrels gallery in the Outer Hall which in turn leads to the Banqueting Hall, laid up as it was with round tables making for an intimate dinner.

After processing as usual we were served an excellent meal courtesy of Party Ingredients and were entertained – not once but three times – by the Lakeside Singers from the Guildhall School of Music. They performed magnificently and their range of musicianship was extraordinary. It being near to Christmas they rounded off with a hearty rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, with much audience participation!

The focus of the evening was of course to raise funds for the Companies extensive list of charities and so a silent action was held with a range of magnificent prizes. The Mistress and I were lucky to secure a weekend away in Great Dunmow, Essex and we are looking forward going in the New Year. All the other prizes were snapped up too – well done for all the support!

After the Loyal Toasts and a speech of welcome from the Master, the Master Fanmaker, Dr Michael Smith responded on behalf of the guests. And a very good job he did too! A very amusing speech.

And so the evening drew to a close and we bade our farewells. Thank you to the Master and her Wardens for making us all so welcome, for organising the charity auction and for the lovely pewter Christmas Tree decorations. A great way to herald in the festive season.