Until the last quarter of the 19th century the Lord Mayor hosted an annual banquet for the heads of the Great Twelve Livery Companies. Today the dinner is for all Livery Companies. It is held to celebrate the partnership with the Livery Companies of the City of London and to return some of the hospitality received during the Mayoral year. It was a great opportunity to meet with other Masters and Consorts of the Livery and Guild community.
After passing the guard of Pikeman on the stairs, and being formally welcomed by the Mayor and Mayoress in the reception line, we caught up with other Masters to a backdrop of music by the Salon Orchestra of the Honourable Artillery Company. We then moved into the Egyptian Hall for a fanfare by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry to welcome the Lord Mayor.
Based on the epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren, the Lord Mayor spoke of the contribution of the Livery to the City of London: “If you seek a monument to the Livery, look around the City.”
The Master Mercer then spoke and was followed by the Master Grocer. There was plenty of praise for the work and achievements of the Livery Climate Action Group led by Alison Gowman.
After the dinner there were plenty of opportunities to catch up with other Livery Companies. I am glad we decided to stay over in London as we did not get back to the hotel until 1.30! It was a most enjoyable evening.
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