On Monday 13 March, I attended a webinar on stained glass organised by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass. It was a very interesting talk on the major commissions over the last few years, mainly in buildings such as churches. The window shown above was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a gift from Members of both Houses of Parliament on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. It was designed and made by British artist John Reyntiens working with a team of experienced draftsmen, painters and technicians in his studio. The window has now been installed as the three central panels of the north window in Westminster Hall.
On Tuesday 14th March I attended a service at St Michael Paternoster Royal to celebrate the life and achievements of Dick Whittington, commemorating the 600th anniversary of his death. The service and presentations were organised by Alderman Alison Gowman.
A wreath was laid in memory of Sir Richard Whittington, who is buried in the church but the precise location of the grave is unknown. As you can see, he was a Mercer and four times Lord Mayor, being a great benefactor of both the City and the Mercer’s Company.
Professor Caroline Barron spoke on the topic "Richard Whittington: The Man behind the Pantomime" and Professor Carolyn Roberts spoke about "Dick Whittington and the 64 holer". Both talks were fascinating – the 64 holer refers to the largest public lavatory at the time, funded by Sir Richard Whittington!
On the theme of stained glass, the church has a window depicting Dick Whittington and his cat, seen high behind me! The service and lectures were followed by light refreshments at the Innholders Hall, just a minutes walk away.
The next day, Wednesday 15th, the Mistress and I were honoured to be invited by the Master Carpenter Brigadier John Meardon and his Mistress Ann, to the Spring Dinner of the Carpenters’ Company. A splendid affair in the presence of His Excellency Mr Karel van Oosterom, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and his wife Anna. We all enjoyed the musical entertainment by four talented saxophonists from the Guildhall School of Music, including favorites by Gershwin. The train strike caused some upset, with quite a few guests arriving late, but the show went on – nothing can stop a good Livery dinner. The food and wines were absolutely exceptional, as was the company!
It was wonderful to visit Christ’s Hospital again on Friday 3 March with Past Masters Lesley Day, Tom Rider and David Szymanski. We were made very welcome by the Director of Development, Hugo Middlemas, before meeting with Deputy Head Ruth Brading and CEO Jenny Baxter Clark. We also met with Kiyan Rahmann, our current presentee, who is doing so well at the school. Before lunch, I presented a cheque for over £38,000 to Headmaster, Mr Simon Reid, to support our next presentee.
After a tour of the school including the chapel, we had lunch with the Headmaster and his colleagues in the main hall which was crowded with students and staff. They serve about 1400 lunches each day, which means the canteen has to be extremely efficient! After lunch, it was also a great treat to watch the Christ’s Hospital band and students marching on parade, practicing for the school’s open day next week.
On Thursday 9 March, we had our Craft awards ceremony and luncheon at Trinity House. The room was absolutely packed to capacity, with each of the 123 seats filled. I am very grateful to our guest speaker Lt Col Guy Cheesman, Commanding Officer 1 RMSE, who awarded the prizes, the Chairman of the Craft Committee, Court Assistant David White, and our Learned Clerk Heather Smith for organising the event.
There was a great atmosphere in the room, with everyone keen to celebrate the achievements of these talented individuals.
It was a huge privilege to award Matt Timby, Roof Slater & Tiler, as a Master Craftsman and to award Simon Dixon and Chris Cox with special Recognition for Services to Education & Industry. A full report listing all the award winners, written by Court Assistant Ian Wilson, is featured on the website events report page. Well done to all our award winners!
On 23 February, the Mistress and I attended Worshipful Company of Horners’ Annual Ralph Anderson lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine, Wimpole Street, focussing on the challenge of plastics recycling, and a most enjoyable buffet supper afterwards. Professor Edward Kosior explored how waste management sits at the heart of climate change, with global waste generating more than 1.3 billion tons of CO2e annually. He went on to explain the cutting-edge technologies that are coming on stream to help the world turn plastic waste into a valuable resource. This is a most important area of research, and shows how the Horners’ Company has evolved now that horn products are less crucial in day to day living!
On 27 February I was delighted to join Freeman Charlotte Pienaar, her family and friends, when she received the Freedom of the City of London. Here we are photographed with Charlotte’s father, Liveryman Ian Wilson and Court Assistant Keith Aldis, both members of our Craft committee. The Chamberlain, Caroline Al-Beyerty, performed the ceremony and then gave us a tour of the Courtroom and its valuable contents.
After the ceremony at the Chamberlain’s Court, we had wonderful lunch at Sweetings Restaurant. Sweetings specialise in seafood, and it’s a very convenient place to celebrate, being just a few minutes walk from Guildhall. They always greet us like old friends and ply us with excellent food, wine and service, which is much appreciated.
A couple of days later, the Mistress and I attended a screening of the film “The Duke”, at Cinema 1, The Barbican in support of the Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s fund, followed by a Q&A session with the lead actor and directors. The film is based on the true story of the theft of Francisco Goya’s famous portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961, and the subsequent Old Bailey trial of Kempton Bunton, an out of work cab driver from Newcastle. The trial was so extraordinary it forced the government to change the law. The live Q&A session with lead actor Jim Broadbent, and directors Richard Bean and Clive Coleman, was fascinating. If you haven’t seen the film, I strongly recommend it!
On Thursday 21th February I was delighted to represent the Company at the Pancake races in Guildhall Yard. Organised by the Poulters’ Company, with gloves from the Glovers’, timekeeping by the Clockmakers’, firing cannon and pistols from the Gunmakers’, and lemons from the Fruiterers’, many Companies are involved.
Running in brick red trousers and a Master’s gown, I competed in the first heat. Despite setting a stonking pace, I somehow managed to lose my chef’s hat, which meant I failed to qualify for the finals. I was somewhat relieved to see I wasn’t the only one, at it was a recurring theme throughout the races!
The high point of the event must be the fancy dress race, which each year brings more extreme and humorous outfits. With the tercentenary of the death of Sir Christopher Wren, there were not one, but two St Paul’s Cathedrals competing, one of which was from the Fuellers’ Company who won the prize for best costume. Another stand-out costume was the pineapple of the Gardeners’ Company, which gained second place. The fancy dress pancake race was won by the Framework Knitters, who also won the Master’s race and the Victor Ludorum – congratulations to them for such a successful showing!
I am very grateful to Liveryman Michael Ash (right) who donated £250 to the Company’s charitable funds. He encouraged members of the Company who attended the pancake races to wear a feathers in their hat, and to carry an umbrella and a handbag, each item scoring points which contributed to the total - a most amusing and generous idea. Thanks also to Upper Warden Chris Causer who took on the role of Team organizer.
Later that day, the Clerk and I were guests of the Master Apothecary, Dr Jonathan Holiday CVO, former Apothecary to the Royal Household at Windsor, for dinner at Apothecary’s Hall in Black Friars. Set on the site of a Franciscan Monastery, the hall dates to 1672 having been rebuilt immediately after the Great Fire. It has remaining largely unchanged since and is a wonderful venue. I was honoured to sit next to the Master Apothecary and his Chaplain, the Reverend Mark Jones, who is in his 34th year as an Eton master. The Master Turner, Matthew Gaved and the Clerk to the Turners’ Company, Niall McNaughton, were also present as Company guests.
Welcome to the guests was given by Dr Julia Neild, Junior Warden, who educated us on the importance of gardens in the history of the Society, and in particular the Wardian case, an early form of mobile garden allowing transportation of rare species of flora across the globe. The principal guest (seated, left) was Clare Matteson, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, who spoke of the development of the Society and its current objectives. A wonderful evening which was much enjoyed by myself and the Clerk.
On Thursday 9th February I attended the Worshipful Company of Educators’ Franklin Lecture, given by Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli at the Mansion House. This was entitled "Teacher, Tutor, Scholar, I: A metaverse of education or a conundra of confusion" and delivered in the presence of the Lord Mayor, Alderman Nicholas Lyons, and Sheriff Andrew Marsden.
The lecture was wide ranging and gave a fascinating insight to the nature of education of all types, with international comparisons and an emphasis on the role of systems including artificial intelligence.
It was my pleasure to sit next to an old friend, Dominic Price, Headmaster of Merton Court School, who had been helping Michael Mainelli with his research. Our minds loaded with information, we enjoyed a post lecture drinks reception attended by about 200 people including many Educators.
Then, on Monday 13th February, the Mistress and I attended luncheon with the Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress and Sheriff at Chartered Accountants' Hall, One Moorgate Place. This was a rescheduled event, as the previous dinner had been overshadowed by the sad death of her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Master Chartered Accountant, Richard Green, gave us a warm welcome. Lord Mayor Alderman Nicholas Lyons spoke after lunch giving an insight onto his priorities for the year, and his gruelling international travel plans, having already visited Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and North America as ambassador of the City of London.
The next day, I was honoured to meet the Lord Mayor again, this time gowned and bejeweled to celebrate the opening of the Commemorative garden for the Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch in Guildhall yard. I was accompanied by Liveryman Diana Malzer, who is organizing our party at the Big Curry Lunch. Chairman of the organizing committee, Mr Michael Hockney (right), welcomed us and introduced His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, who formally declared the garden open.
The garden is bigger and better than ever before. This year’s garden is inspired by the theme of loss, unity and hope was designed by Gianna Utilini on behalf of The Worshipful Company of Gardeners, with the help of the Guild of Freemen, both of which support the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch each year. Once again, the Tylers and Bricklayers will attend the lunch in force, and have donated £1500 to ABF The Soldiers Charity in support the Lifeworks Programme at King Edward VII Hospital.
