Following a hectic start in October and November, activity slowed slightly in December and January with a pleasant break over Christmas and the New Year.
December began with a service at St Bartholomew’s the Great to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Cutlers Company’s first charter from Henry V in 1416. This church is tucked away in a small alley opposite Haberdashers Hall and parts of it are extremely old. Following the service, a reception was held in the Great Hall at the Old Bailey.
The Lord Mayor’s Awards were held at Mansion House at a small ceremony hosted by the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor has a very good sense of humour, and asked me to ‘check a couple of dodgy slates on the roof of Mansion House’! The awards are for young people (18-23) who have completed various tasks in many parts of the world. Having spoken to a couple of the winners they are very impressive young people.
My first Court meeting as Master was held at Wax Chandlers Hall prior to the Carol Service. The meeting seemed to go well, although two hours in the Master’s gown is quite a challenge.
The annual Carol service that followed is always a highlight as it starts the festive season for the T&Bs. St Margarets Lothbury was full of Company members and guests who were able to witness an excellent sermon from our Chaplain John Cook, and some wonderful singing from the Lothbury choir. The Mistress delivered one of the readings during the service, which may have been a ‘first’ for the Company. Following the service we adjourned to the City University Club for wine and canapés, taking the opportunity to chat with members of the Company.
Hilary and I left for a three week holiday to Australia the day after the service, primarily to visit our two children, Hannah and John, who live in Melbourne. Whilst in the city ‘The Szymanskis’ were invited to dinner by Liveryman and Steward Brenda Upton-Kemp who is a native of the city. We had a wonderful time catching up with Brenda who served an excellent dinner in keeping with her reputation for presenting good food.
One day after returning from Australia, with the jet lag in full force, I attended a Masons Company lunch and a Plaisterers Company dinner. The Masons lunch was at Mercers Hall, which is always pleasant to visit with the Mercers being No.1 in the order of precedence. The dinner with the Plaisterers Company was a very large and grand occasion with Masters and Clerks from many companies in attendance. The retiring Bishop of London was a guest but unfortunately he didn’t speak.
Coincidently two of the current Masters are friends of mine. Steve Turner, Master Builders Merchant, was a good customer for many years, and Hugh Moss, Master Horner, was a colleague at London Brick in the early eighties. Hugh invited me to a very select Horner’s lunch at Painters Hall, which gave us the opportunity to catch up and reminisce over old times!
That same afternoon, the Wardens and I interviewed a prospective member to the company, before meeting with new members of the Company for supper at Davys St James. This initiative started last year and gives relatively new members of the company the opportunity to ask questions of the Master and Wardens, and also find out how the company operates. We hope to make this a regular annual event.
It is not uncommon for individuals to be members of more than one livery company, in fact some City dignitaries can be members of 6/7/8 companies, usually on an honorary basis. Tom Christopherson has been a Tylers and Bricklayers Liveryman since 1986, but currently he is also Master of the Art Scholars Company, the last livery company to be formed – 110. Tom invited the Mistress and I to their annual dinner at Drapers Hall, which is always magnificent. It was a very pleasant evening that was attended by many TV personalities from the Antiques Roadshow, which is probably not surprising. The guest speaker was Sir Tim Lawrence, Princess Anne’s husband, who is currently Chairman of both English Heritage and the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He gave a very interesting speech and stirred memories of my time working in West Flanders, Belgium where many of the war graves are situated.
It is important for all members of the company to promote the company to the wider world and explain what our aims and objectives are. With this in mind I gave a short presentation to the board of the Association of Brickwork Contractors who represent most of the larger bricklaying firms in the UK. Unfortunately, they are not as engaged with us as we would like and as I am a good friend of the Chairman, I took advantage of the invite he gave. Hopefully we will be able to develop the relationship.
January finished off with a superb visit to Hampton Court Palace by the Mistress and I at the invitation of Liveryman Emma Simpson. Emma is a bricklayer by training and specializes in the heritage sector. Most of her and her teams work is at the Royal Palaces and Hampton Court is a good example. Emma is able to use skills and techniques that are quite rare in the 21st century to repair and renovate the brickwork that has deteriorated over 100’s of years. The work that has been done on the extensive garden walls is excellent, but that which has been completed on the magnificent chimney stacks is staggering. Emma must have a good head for heights! This work is a credit to Emma and her team and I would recommend a visit.
As well as being able to attend many special events, the Master has to work with the Clerk to organize Company functions both formal and informal. Often these preparations start months in advance and require careful planning. Fortunately our Learned Clerk is very experienced and guides the Master with great skill.
The diary for February and March gets off to a good start, with Common Hall at Bakers Hall, followed by a continual flow of appointments.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been in touch with two Liverymen who are no longer able to attend our functions. Michael Drown became a liveryman in 1983. When I was a young engineer with London Brick, Michael was company Sales Director. He then went on to work for Westbrick and then Tarmac. Michael lives near Tiverton in Devon. I have also been in touch with the Right Reverend George Cassidy. George was Company chaplain prior to John Cook. George lives near Bridgwater in West Somerset. I plan to meet up with both Michael and George in the Summer.
Finally, it was with great sadness that we heard that Past Master Hugh Fuller had passed away peacefully. Hugh had been a great servant to the Company and had continued the great traditions of the Fullers within the Tylers and Bricklayers. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anne and the family.
It is an honour and a privilege to be installed as the Master of the Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company. To follow in a 600 year line of Masters is quite daunting but I look forward to my year with enthusiasm.
As all previous Masters will know, the year starts with a full diary through the months of October, November and December, and it comes as a little bit of a shock to the system as the events and commitments come thick and fast!
Thursday 6th October 2016 was a very special day for Hilary and I and we would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and support. The day of the installation started with a relatively short Court meeting at Carpenters’ Hall, followed by the procession to St Margaret Lothbury for the Installation. Liveryman Steve Trott carried the Company banner with style and the Master, Wardens and Court Assistants followed behind. The procession is a wonderful experience as it is the only time that we are on public view. The installation went very smoothly and was followed by the Church Service. We processed back to Carpenters’ Hall for lunch, after a two year absence, and I was delighted that the Master Carpenter joined us as a guest. A special thanks goes to my guest of honour, Sir Neville Simms, who spoke with interest, relevance and humour.
But the day was not over! After a quick change into evening dress, we managed to get to Grocers’ Hall in time for the Constructors’ Company installation dinner. A full-on first day and the sign of things to come!
To date I have attended 23 events including Company committee meetings.
Following the hectic first day, my first event was the Turners’ Company ‘Wizardry in Wood’ reception at Carpenters’ Hall, which was organized to display the work of some very skilled wood turners. Many pieces of incredible detail were on display and available for sale. This is a craft/industry that seems to be ‘under the radar’ for some reason.
The following day we attended the St Paul’s School concert and supper at Mercers’ Hall. This was a rare opportunity to visit the hall of Company No.1. It was another school event the next day with the City of London School for Girls prize giving at Guildhall, with prizes presented by the Lord Mayor. These prizes included the Noreen Dickins’ prizes which are donated by the T&Bs.
To attend the installation dinner of the Master Builders Merchant at Drapers’ Hall was a special pleasure, as Steve and Christine Turner are very good friends. Steve was in good form and thoroughly enjoyed his day. I have a close connection through business with the Builders Merchants’ community and met many good friends and acquaintances.
Apart from the T&B installation, the highlight of the year so far is probably our trip to Warsaw, as guests of NFRC, to attend the 26th World Championships for Young Roofers. Having some experience of Poles through my ancestry, I was somewhat prepared for their eating and drinking habits. Copious amounts of pork and vodka were made available through their wonderful hospitality, but we managed to maintain consumption at a sensible level. The young roofers, of various disciplines, produced some excellent work, which was rewarded by prizes at a Gala Dinner in the National sports stadium.
Hosted by James Campbell, a Fellow of the College, a group of 30 T&Bs visited Queens’ College, Cambridge. James was able to lead a tour of the college, which was extremely interesting including visits to areas that are not open to the public. The visit concluded with a very pleasant lunch.
All the Masters were present to place a cross at the opening of the Garden of Remembrance at St Paul’s, headed by the Lord Mayor. A very moving occasion as one would expect.
This was followed by a short walk to Plaisterers’ Hall for the Plaisterers’ Company training awards lunch. This was the first event at their hall following the renovation after the flooding. This is the largest Livery Hall in the City and has a capacity of 350. It is always a delight to witness young tradesmen being recognized and rewarded for their good work.
More awards followed with the Brick Awards dinner at the Hilton Park Lane. Our Company has a link to this event, as Past Master David Cole-Adams sits on the judging panel. I have attended this event on many occasions and it remains a very lively and boisterous occasion!
The mood changed completely the following day with attendance at the Silent Ceremony – the installation of the new Lord Mayor – in Guildhall. This is a special ceremony to attend due to its long tradition. Apart from the Lord Mayor swearing the oath of office, the whole ceremony is carried out in silence.
Along with other Masters, I was able to hear the Lord Mayor’s annual address to the Livery at Mansion House where he explained his objectives for the year. The Lord Mayor is a very natural speaker who always brings humour to what he says.
The Actuaries’ Company organized a very interesting lecture at Staple Inn Hall, given by economist John Kay. He explained the history of insurance and the subtle difference between insurance and gambling. He also discussed the risks of excessive levels of re-insurance.
We accompanied Jeff and Catherine Fuller to SkillBuild at the NEC, Birmingham. Both NFRC and TTA acted as hosts. All of the three T&B crafts were displayed, by some very talented young craftsmen. The competition pieces were very challenging with the bricklaying piece being extremely difficult. This visit provided the opportunity to meet a number of influential people in our industry.
I was invited by the Carpenters’ Company to the Building Crafts College awards at Carpenters’ Hall. The Carpenters’ Company sponsor this college, which provides places for over 100 students. The college focuses on the crafts of carpentry and stonemasonry. These awards provide great encouragement to the students and provide an incentive for others to join the industry.
The launch of the Big Curry Lunch was held at the City of London Club. The lunch is a Mayoral function that raises significant funds for ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity. £250k was raised in 2016 and the target for 2017 is £450k. The Lord Mayor spoke to the gathering via video link from Kuwait. I was able to discuss the lunch with Court Assistant Simon Martin, who sits on the organizing committee. The T&Bs provide some financial support for this lunch.
Both the Clerk and I attended the Paviors’ Company Autumn Dinner at Drapers’ Hall. This was a very well attended event held in superb surroundings. As with the Builders Merchants, I have historical links to this industry and was able to catch up with some old friends.
In addition to these functions I have attended the Wine Committee, Communications Committee, Craft Committee, Finance Committee and Charitable Trust Trustees meetings. I have also met with a prospective member to explain the history of the Livery Companies and the Tylers and Bricklayers.
All in all, a very enjoyable albeit busy start to the year. Following the Carol Service I have a three week break as we visit our children, Hannah and John, who both live in Melbourne, Australia. Christmas in 30degree heat alongside a BBQ always seems strange, but we will be thinking of you all as we celebrate the Festive Season.
Merry Christmas,
David
April and May have been my busiest months yet as Master, with our 600th anniversary celebrations as the focus. I thought the concert and reception at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama was a huge success, with both Sheriffs and over 50 Livery Masters present. The student musicians were superb. The Exhibition of the Company’s Treasures and the Annual Guest Dinner were similarly of the highest quality. Seeing the famous ‘Breeches’ Bible’ and the Company’s archival records from the 16th and 17th centuries were a particular treat for me. These events have raised our profile in the City considerably.
April began though with the New Members’ informal dinner at Davy’s Wine Bar in Piccadilly. This is a new initiative by the Communications Committee and will be repeated new year. In convivial surroundings, the Upper Warden, the Clerk, the Communications Committee Chairman and I and 8 of our members who joined in 2011-12 each had the chance to get to know each other rather better and to discuss the ways of the Company.
Later that week, the Renter Warden in Nomination and I went to The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch at Guildhall in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. There were over 1200 present, which meant there was bit of a queue for food! But I much enjoyed seeing many of my fellow Masters and meeting those involved in the charity. HRH Prince Harry was the Royal Guest of Honour and we were addressed by General Sir Mike Jackson, the Charity’s President. The event once again raised vital funds for soldiers and veterans affected by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Next day, I was a guest at the Chartered Architects Company’s Building of the Year Award. The Leadenhall Building, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and developed by British Land and Oxford Properties, was the winner. The Lord Mayor presented the award and unveiled a plaque, which regrettably fell off the wall at his first attempt!
A week later and I was a guest again of the Chartered Architects’ Company, this time at their lecture at Staple Inn on the effects of the IRA bombings on architectural design in the City. It was fascinating to have the move towards high-rise, iconic buildings explained. And there are several more such buildings planned for the coming years.
The Festival Service of the Sons of the Clergy at St Paul’s Cathedral is a central part of the civic year and always a great occasion. It was a huge honour to process with my fellow Masters at an event attended by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, Alderman and Bishops. I greatly enjoyed having a near front row seat and it was a privilege to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury preach.
The following evening and I was at the Barts View Day. It began with Evensong in St Bartholomew the Great, attended by The Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs, many Masters and senior figures from the NHS Trust. The Bishop of London gave an insightful and amusing address. It was my first visit to this magnificent 12th century Priory church and I fully intend to return for a proper look.
The weekend brought a complete change of scene, when Caroline and I were the guests of Bob and Christine Howard at The Tile Association Annual Awards Dinner at St John’s Hotel and Conference Centre in Solihull. Bob is a past Chairman of the TTA and one of its leading lights. The evening had a Rio Carnival theme. It kicked off with a floor show from Brazilian Fantasy. The female dancers wearing large ostrich feather headdresses but very little else certainly caught their audience’s attention as they performed an energetic samba! I had the pleasure of presenting the Employee of the Year award, Bafta style.
A few days’ later and another change of scene. This time, it was the Buckingham Palace Garden Party. It was a Rider family occasion as Caroline and I were able to bring our sons, Christopher and William, with us. We greatly enjoyed walking around the Palace gardens. Immediately before it, we lunched at the Goring Hotel, where we bumped into several Masters and their wives, and then joined the queue for entry into the Palace, only to find the Dean of St Paul’s immediately behind us. He well recalled being our guest of honour at the Annual Guests Dinner at Goldsmiths Hall two years before.
The following week, I attended the Veterans Aid reception at Trinity House. I was hugely impressed by this charity, which provides help, often emergency-style assistance, for ex-servicemen and women in crisis.
Next was Christ’s Hospital Speech Day. Caroline and I had the pleasure of seeing Onyinye, our Presentee, receive two prizes from The Lord Mayor, and of being introduced by her to her parents. This is an amazing and hugely successful school, with two thirds of its 900 pupils supported by the City Livery Movement. Onyinye finishes at the school this summer and has plainly loved her time there. She awaits her IB results but is confident she will secure enough points to take up her place at King’s College in the autumn.
This busy but highly enjoyable two months ended with Deputy Master David Cole-Adams and I presenting the Company’s History to The Lord Mayor in a private meeting at Mansion House on 1st June. The Lord Mayor wrote a Foreword to the book. He warmly congratulated the Company on the book and on the 600th anniversary of our first recorded Master.
Ironbridge Gorge is described as the birth place of the Industrial Revolution. Each June, the Livery Masters and their consorts pay an annual pilgrimage to this beautiful part of Staffordshire. It is a highlight of every Master’s year and the event was well attended with 95 Masters. As anticipated, the week-end proved an excellent opportunity for Caroline and I to get to know many more of our fellow Masters and Mistresses.
After arriving on the Friday afternoon, we were all entertained to a dinner in The Covered Bays at Coalbrook. Next morning, we were taken by coach on tours to the Iron Bridge itself, spanning the gorge, the Blists Hill Victorian Town and the Jackfield Tile Museum. This fascinating museum, which the Company’s Craft Trust supports with an annual donation, features gas-lit galleries in period room settings, showing the many different places that were decorated with tiles once made at Jackfield.
In the evening we were joined by The Lord Mayor, The Lady Mayoress, both Sheriffs and their partners, for The Presidents Summer Ball at Enginuity in the Engine Shop and Museum at Coalbrookdale. It was great fun. The following morning, and in accordance with tradition, a light-hearted meeting of Masters took place as we formed our Pastmasters’ Association, with the name of the Phoenix (it being of course the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London) and Master Pewterer was elected our chairman.
A fortnight later and we were reunited as the Masters processed into Guildhall for the Election of Sheriffs at Common Hall. We dutifully elected (North Korean style!) two Aldermanic Sheriffs for the coming year: Peter Estlin –- Alderman and International Banker; and William Russell - Alderman and Haberdasher.
A quick lunch and I was back in Guildhall Yard for Armed Forces Flag Day. The Lord Mayor, accompanied by the Sheriffs, took the salute at the raising of the Armed Forces flag. Rear Admiral Nicholas Hine, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, joined the Lord Mayor on the saluting dais. The Band of the Grenadier Guards provided the musical accompaniment.
The following week I attended with Past Masters Nicholas Carter and Julyan Gordon and their wives at the Service of Thanksgiving, in Cucklington, Somerset, for Past Master Christopher Grellier. Nicholas Carter gave one of the eulogies and spoke movingly of Chris’s contribution to the Company over many years. As you will know from the book "They Built London," the Grellier family have played an active part in the activities of the Company for over two centuries.
Next, on 30th June, was the Building Crafts College Exhibition and End of Year Show at Carpenters’ Hall, where I was the guest of Master Carpenter. The level of skill shown by the students of the College in Stratford was highly impressive.
The Lord Mayor’s Service of Thanksgiving at St Stephen Walbrook at the beginning of July has become an annual event in recent years with the investiture of The Lord Mayor as an honorary Warden. It was well attended. The Intercessions were given by Rev Sally Muggeridge, the Assistant Curate, and the wife of Liveryman David Williams. It is a fascinating church with its large, carved stone altar by Henry Moore situated in the centre, with the circular pews spanning outwards from it.
I have always wanted to visit Innholders’ Hall in College Street; I pass it daily on my way to work. The opportunity came with invitations to the Clerk and myself from Master Cook to their Livery Luncheon. The hall was rebuilt after the Great Fire, damaged in World War 1, severely damaged in World War 2 and fully restored in 1950. Being one of the smaller halls, it has a feeling of intimacy. Needless to say, the food and wine at the lunch were superb.
That evening a group of 20 from the Company met at the Monument for one of the guided walks organised by Master Chartered Architect. We traced part of the route of the Great Fire down to Blackfriars on what was a rare, barmy evening. This enjoyable tour is reported more fully on the Events page.
My last event in July was a dinner and tour of the Old Bailey, when Caroline and I were the guests of Sheriff Dr Christine Rigden and Stephen Rigden. We were joined by Master Pewterer and his wife and Master Framework Knitter. On a sweltering evening and after a full tour, including the cells, our thirst was slaked by champagne served in the flutes given by the Company from bottles opened by sword by the Sheriff. She has clearly not wasted her year!
The pace has certainly picked up during February and March. Shrove Tuesday saw me taking part in the inter-livery Pancake Races in Guildhall Yard, always a fun and well run event. The Company continued its success of recent years. James Hockley was our star, winning the coveted frying pan in the novelty race. The team much appreciated the members and friends who turned up to support the runners, and thanks to generous sponsorship around £750 was raised for the Company's charities, which is really pleasing.