Master Water Conservator

After weeks of training, regular running and practising pancake tossing the great day arrived! 41 Companies joined in the fun this year … … only for the weather to prevent my second attempt at winning! After a photo call outside for the participants and fancy dress we descended to the gloom and warmth of the crypt below the Guildhall.   There was stiff competition for the fancy dress and our own Andy Williamson produced the most topical coffee cup especially as there had been another of the Lord Mayor’s Coffee Colloquy only minutes before.   After judging by the Sheriff and his team we came a very close third to a Shard and a Queen.   I reckon that they dare not award the prize to us for the third year running; we have to  encourage the competition.   Well done Andy! There was then a static (fairly static anyway) pancake tossing competition for the Masters.  This is where my practice paid off.  In 30 seconds I achieved 63 tosses without losing or d...

  As Master of the Water Conservators I was very honoured to be invited to the Mansion House Banquet by the Master and Company of Gardeners.   We were greeted by the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, a sub-unit of the Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest British Army Regiment, given a Charter by Henry VIII in 1537.  We were then given a very warm welcome by the Master Gardener with whom we have much in common, including the recognition of the value of water! Eileen and I were hosted and very well looked after by Zoe, a member of the Gardeners, before we entered the Egyptian Hall which was magnificently enhanced by beautiful flower arrangements. We were so impressed by the displays that we made a donation for two, one of which headed to York after the Banquet as a gift to our daughter. At the conclusion of a magnificent dinner we sang grace - Laudi spirituali, dating from AD 1545. We were formally welcomed by the Upper Warden, and the Lord Mayor, Alderman Michae...

As a past member of the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection UK (EPUK), I was pleased to join colleagues to see the next stage in its life as it became the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC).   This is a new community of environmental experts at the Institution of Environmental Sciences.   It supports the urgent implementation of policies that lead to the protection and regeneration of our natural world.   At a reception in the Guildhall, hosted by the Corporation of the City of London, we were welcomed by Adam Donnan, Chief Executive Officer, Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and Ruth Calderwood, Chair, EPIC. We heard that the IES is a professional membership organisation with over 6,000 members, representing the full spectrum of environmental disciplines. EPUK, formerly the National Society for Clean Air, was a 125-year-old national charity that acted as an expert forum for environmental policy development and pra...

City businesses and organisations, including Livery Masters, were invited to the reception to celebrate the first year anniversary of the City of London Chamber (CoLC) – a business group belonging to London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).   The Chamber champions are the voices of business in the Square Mile, representing their interests, providing opportunities to make valuable business connections and to address local business issues. Our hosts were Liz Henderson, Director of Membership and Events, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Alderman Prem Goyal OBE, Founding Chair, City of London Chamber and Chairman, Audit and Risk Management Committee, City of London Corporation (pictured above). We heard enthusiastic presentations from Michael Mainelli, Lord Mayor of London, Bim Afolami MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, and Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman, City of London Corporation. I had a interesting discussion with Bronek Masojada Alde...

Clive Grimley, Master Glover, kindly arranged for a group of current Masters and Consorts to visit Lock & Co, Hatters, on St James’s Street. From the outside the shop front looked as if it were located on Diagon Alley, and the inside was no disappointment, with a charming tinkly chiming antique grandfather clock, flights of stairs that creaked (or was that our knees?) and an attic room crammed with fabrics and feathers.   We were greeted with champagne (of course!) and by Master Feltmaker Simon Wilkinson and Past Master Nigel Lock Macdonald.   Simon was sporting a pink topper with a yellow band, the symbol of a charity funding brain tumour research: https://braintumourresearch.org/ .   Why not wear a hat on Wear a Hat Day (28 March) and donate to this worthy cause?   (Hats worn for this can be more subtle!) Nigel is a seventh-generation descendant of the Lock family, and has been Chairman of the company for nearly 40 years. His wife Maggie was also presen...

Snowdrops – a harbinger of spring, with their pure white wing-like petals and a green heart, poking up through the bare earth (or even snow), reminding us in the gloom of winter that beauty and colour will return. And what better time to go and see them than on 2 February, on the Feast of Candlemas, as another name for snowdrops is Candlemas Bells.   So Martin and I escaped from our desks and went to Myddelton House, near Enfield, renowned for its snowdrops in the gardens created by horticulturist E A Bowles.   Now the headquarters of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Myddelton House was completed in 1818 and named in honour of Sir Hugh Myddelton as the New River ran through the grounds . Work on the River Lee Navigation had begun in 1425, enabling grain from East Anglia to be transported to London, essential for the brewing industry, as beer was the beverage of choice before clean drinking water was available.   In 1609 Hugh Mydde...

Jackie Gradosielska, Consort to the Master Waterman and Lighterman, kindly held an afternoon tea for City Consorts at the Watermen’s Hall.   We were greeted by two of the Doggett’s champions, resplendent in their red livery, proudly bearing the silver badge on their sleeve that is awarded to these winners. Events Manager Liza gave us a potted history of the Company, which was founded in 1514, having received its Royal Assent from King Henry VIII.   In 1555 an Act of Parliament appointed Rulers (=Masters) of all Watermen and Wherrymen working between Gravesend and Windsor.   In 1700 the Company was joined by Lightermen (who carry goods and cargo, as opposed to watermen, who carry passengers).   In 1827 the Company was incorporated by a further Act of Parliament, thus ensuring its independence, as a Guild, rather than a Livery Company.   The Company runs a five-year apprenticeship scheme to gain the Boat Master’s Licence. The first Hall was burnt down in the...

Andy Williamson and I were invited to attend the reception in the Mansion House for participants in the 2023 Lord Mayor’s Show, together with organisations which may wish to take part in November 2024.   Unfortunately Andy was unable to attend. The Lord Mayor thanked all the organisations involved in ensuring the success of the event with 150 floats and 25,000 spectators.   He was particularly grateful to those responsible for security who checked and sealed 3500 manhole covers.   It was the only event on the day not visited by Extinction Rebellion.   Under the theme of “Connect to Prosper”, he was particularly pleased with the participation of other cities, including representatives from the Vatican City.   He observed that some participants were distributing business cards like machine guns.   It was the second best day of his life, after his wedding. Alderman Alastair King DL then shared his ideas for the 2024 show and his plans for 2024/25.   He i...