MASTER DRAPER

LEATHERSELLERS, MASTERS, PRIME WARDENS AND CLERKS' DINNER: 14 JULY

2011-07-17T22:57:00.001+01:00

Coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers

On Thursday I went to the last company dinner outside the Hall in my year as Master - there are still two more to go at the Hall before I stand down on midnight 23/24 July.

I was particularly pleased that this dinner was that held by the Leathersellers. They are a very active Company with a wide interest in education - particularly Colfe's School and the Leathersellers' Schools Federation in the London Borough of Lewisham - and care of the elderly, as well as support to their trade. For more details go to http://www.leathersellers.co.uk/

Currently the Company is redeveloping their Bishopsgate site and in the process the existing hall is being demolished and will re-open in 2015 on the same site. This will be the first purpose-built City livery hall in the twenty-first century; a most interesting challenge. In the meantime the Company is pursuing a peripatetic existence and on Thursday we dined at Saddlers' Hall.

The current Master, Nigel Pullman, is a very active participant in the livery movement and has been a welcome companion throughout my Master's year. The Leathersellers were most hospitable and my last outside company dinner as Master was just as it should be.

COMPANY MEDAL PRESENTATIONS AT THE ALMSHOUSES: 14 JULY

2011-07-17T21:53:00.002+01:00

At Edmanson's Close I explain the story of the medal before making presentations. The room is the combined social club and chapel. Photograph with acknowledgements to Herry Lawford.

On Thursday I presented Drapers' Company Medals at the Company's three almshouses. Queen Elizabeth College and Walter's Close in the morning and Edmanson's Close in the afternoon. Readers of this blog will know that residents of the almshouses over 85 and who have lived in a Drapers' almshouse for five years are eligible to receive the medal.

At each site I explained about the decision to reinstitute the medal after a hundred years or so and the further decision to award it to residents. I then presented the medals to those who were well enough to receive them. I also made special visits to those who felt they could no leave their cottages or flats.

At each almshouse we were given excellent tea and cakes and it was good to catch up with the residents' stories. Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson was with us at Queen Elizabeth College and Liveryman Herry Lawford at Edmanson's Close.

I sensed the presentations were popular. The medals are individually named and are thus a real link between the Company and the individual recipient. They are also a token of the Company's ongoing commitment as trustees of the various almshouses.

Alastair and myself just about to leave Edmanson's Close. Photograph with acknowledgements to Herry Lawford.

DRAPERS' ACADEMY: THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR

2011-07-17T16:43:00.004+01:00

We held our final Governors' meeting of the first year of Drapers' Academy on 12 July. Still lots of challenges but we all thought that not only were we making progress but the future looked most promising.

After the holidays the highlights of next term will be:

The largest entry for some time for the school on the site with some 110 children entering Year 7. This is over twenty up on last year.

Work starting in setting up the exciting sixth form that will open in September 2012.

A topping out ceremony for the new buildings within the next eight weeks. This is a major step forward with the project. The shape and size of the building will become increasingly evident.

Selling the Academy to the local community for Year 7 and sixth form entry in September 2012 in the Autumn schools round.

Lots of improvements to the curriculum including more music teaching for Year 7s.

Matthew Slater, the Principal, and his team have put in a huge amount of work this year and the results of this will become increasingly evident over the next few terms.

Now it is time for the staff and pupils to have a well-earned break and my best wishes to Year 11 leavers who were, unfortunately, the only year group at the Academy not to benefit from our new sixth form..

CARMEN'S COMPANY, CART MARKING CEREMONY: 13 JULY

2011-07-17T16:33:00.001+01:00

Coat of Arms of the Carmen's Company

Each year the Carmen hold a cartmarking ceremony in Guildhall Yard to maintain an ancient tradition that required the Company to licence carts that plied for trade in the City. This was both to regulate numbers in the crowded streets of the City and to ensure that owners 'heeded the rules of the day.'

One of the cart marking boards that are attached to the vehicles. This one shows that the vehicle has been recorded at the cartmarking ceremony every year for the last decade or so. I am indebted for this and the subsequent picture to my fellow Master Marketor blogger.

The cart marking ceremony has now metamorphosed into a parade of vehicles, the majority owned and in some cases operated by Carmen, that are each driven into Guildhall Yard and ceremonially marked on a wooden board with a hot branding iron. This year the letter was T.

A horse drawn pantechnicon that was designed to travel by rail, the top boards can be folded down for this purpose. The vehicle is owned by the Gerson family who are still active in the business, but now operating as ICM Gerson, and on the livery. Again thanks to the Master Marketor for this picture.

I have been a member of the Company since 1997 but this was only the third cartmarking ceremony I have attended. It seems to get larger each year and there were 48 entrants ranging from handcarts to large modern tractor units and including horse, diesel, petrol and steam powered vehicles.

It was a most interesting morning with some splendid vehicles on display.

For more details about the Carmen's Company go to http://www.thecarmen.co.uk/

ELECTION OF SHERIFFS: BALLOT OF 8 JULY

2011-07-12T12:39:00.000+01:00

On Monday the final vote for the election of sheriffs was received. In alphabetical order they were:

Nicholas Bonham- Citizen and Pewterer - 549 votes
Wendy Mead- Citizen and Glover - 693 votes
Andrew Stephen Whitton - Citizen and Needlemaker - 40 votes: although Andrew appeared on the ballot paper readers of this blog will know that he had withdrawn from the race. It was thus a most quixotic gesture from those who voted for him.
Alan Colin Drake Yarrow - Alderman and Fishmonger - 1044 votes

The end result exactly mirrors the Common Hall voting but with a clearer margin for Wendy Mead over Nick Bonham. On balance I think this was the best outcome. So next year's Aldermanic Sheriff will be Alan Yarrow with Wendy Mead as Lay Sheriff.

GARETH CLUTTON'S MEMORIAL SERVICE: 8 JULY

2011-07-12T12:38:00.002+01:00

Gareth Clutton's (1960-2011) memorial service was held at St Sepulchre without Newgate in Friday. St Sepulchre's is the largest City parish church and a centre for music as the National Musicians' Church (For more details go to www.st-sepulchre.org.uk ). It is linked to St Michael's Cornhill as Rev Peter Mullen holds both benefices.

As predicted by the Evening Standard (See earlier blog) there was a very substantial turnout drawn from Gareth's family and wide circle of friends. The church was full. Moving the service from the smaller St Michael's to St Sepulchre's was the right decision.

Fiona gave a most moving, yet beautifully constructed, personal tribute to her husband and two of their children, Anna and Rafe, read. Richard Jonas, who until very recently was Master Clothworker and a fellow partner of Gareth's at Cluttons, also contributed a reading.

Richard Lay, in his capacity as Chairman of the Portman Estate, gave the professional address. He painted a picture of Gareth that many of us knew along with insights that many of us were not aware. He described Gareth's life before becoming a surveyor, where he had tried almost everything, to becoming the seventh generation Clutton in his family firm and finally the appointment to be Chief Executive of the Portman Estate. Garetth had remarked to Richard that he felt more at ease in a boardroom furnished with portraits of Portmans rather than one where past generations of Cluttons looked down.

Afterwards a very well-attended reception was held at the Hall. It was a day of emotion but also one of pleasure in seeing so many who respected, admired and liked Gareth coming together to remember him.

THE LONG REACH OF THE DRAPERS

2011-07-10T20:43:00.002+01:00

In general conversations with friends and acquaintances, many of whom I have known for many years, I discover they have links with the Company that they had never mentioned to me before I told them I was Master Draper.

One particular meeting is as good example as any. I was on the Bakerloo coming in from Paddington when I bumped into a very senior civil servant, now retired. On mentioning the Drapers' Company his immediately recounted, with evident enthusiasm, that his best economics lecturer at Oxford, and one who had stimulated his interest in the subject, was a Drapers' Fellow from Hertford College.

It just goes to show how Drapers' benefactions reach out in the most interesting directions.

DRAPERS' ACADEMY FIRST ANNUAL SPORTS AWARDS EVENING: 7 JULY

2011-07-10T20:40:00.000+01:00

Tessa Sanderson CBE who won a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with a record throw 69.56m.

The Drapers' Academy held its first Sports Awards ceremony on Thursday evening and we were delighted that Tessa Sanderson CBE was able to present the prizes. Tessa runs The Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy in nearby Newham. It is a charity to help youngsters who are disabled and non-disabled achieve their goals and create opportunities. For more details go to http://tsfa.co.uk/

She is a highly inspirational speaker and gave an edge of the seat description on the way she won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles against the top competition, including Fatima Whitbread, with an Olympic record throw that proved to be unbeatable. She brought her gold medal along to prove she had won! She also gave a frank account of her desire to succeed, despite coming from a relatively disadvantaged background.

Although the principal purpose of the Academy is not sport focused we are keen to see children enjoy sport. This year facilities have been somewhat limited as the grounds are completely dug up and remodelled. However from late 2012 some excellent facilities will become available across the Academy's twenty-two acre site.

There are some promising sportsmen and women and my congratulations go to Year 8 Boys who won the London School's hockey and the Year 11 boys won the seven-a-side football category in the same competition. And to pick out a few names of the best: Frederick Bamgbelu (New school record for 300m and relay), Nicola Coutts (New school record for 200m and High Jump) and Joe Moss, David Oni and Gracian Wojciechowski who formed part of the record beating boys' relay team.

A great evening with lots of spirit in evidence. My congratulations to the PE Faculty for setting all this up Finally, it was especially good that at the end of the evening the Academy Sports Personality Award was officially renamed the Mayes Cup. Susan Mayes is retiring after many years at the Academy, and its predecessor schools, teaching PE and in wider leadership roles. She has given much of her career to help Harold Hill children. She has also been a strong supporter of the Academy from its earliest stages and this has been of great help. The name change was a well kept secret and came as a complete, but pleasant, surprise to Susan.

COMPANY SERVICE: 6 JULY

2011-07-10T20:02:00.001+01:00

Each year, at the beginning of July, the Company holds a service at St Michael's Cornhill to celebrate both the continuation of the Company across the centuries and the generosity of our many benefactors.

The service is conducted by the Company's Chaplain who followers of this blog will know this year is the Rt Rev Nigel Stock, Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The Rev Peter Mullen, Rector of St Michael's also laid on the service in St Michael's special way with an excellent choir.

Bishop Nigel gave an excellent sermon on the subject of charity. He noted the great irony that some of the greatest charitable donations are made by those who may be considered the greatest sinners. This is a characteristic known to the Drapers' Company. Although many of our benefactors doubtless lived blameless and worthy lives a number did not.

My favourite example is that of Francis Bancroft, who in his life had the reputation of being a hard nosed lawyer quite unembarrassed in demanding bribes. He was held in such low esteem that during his funeral procession in the early 1730s the City mob tried to tip him out of his coffin as it was borne through the streets of London. Nevertheless he died a bachelor and gave most of his worldly wealth to the Company and today two great institutions can trace their roots to his generosity: Bancroft's School and Queen Mary, University of London which occupies the original site of his benefaction and faces the Bancroft Arms pub across the Mile End Road.

The church was full with members of the Drapers' family. Court members, the Livery and Freedom as well as residents from the almshouses, representatives from the Company's Schools and Universities. There was a chance to meet everyone at the buffet lunch at the Hall that followed.

INNHOLDERS DINNER FOR MASTERS AND PRIME WARDENS: 5 JULY

2011-07-10T19:38:00.003+01:00

The attractively made Innholders' sign that hangs above the entrance to their Hall in College Street sitauted between the Thames and St Pauls.

I now increasingly feel like a participant in Logan's Run - for those of my readers who do not know the plot of this sci-fi story where those over thirty are destroyed, good ole Wikipedia can provide the necessary details. Most of the Masters' year of office starts in July. Some are already gone and most have a week or two left. New faces are appearing wearing familiar badges. The Innholders' Dinner was the first of these where change was increasingly apparent.

The Innholders still have extensive links with the hotel and catering sector. For more details about the Company go to http://www.innholders.co.uk/

A most agreeable evening but one where it is now clear that one's days as Master are now very few.

The flashing palm crystal that tells the inhabitants of the world of Logan's Run that time is up and they are to be eliminated. Incidentally these covers remind me of my inevitable teenage interest in science fiction that has long since passed.

THE END OF AN ERA: JOHN FREESTONE TO MOVE ON

2011-07-10T14:32:00.001+01:00

John Freestone in his Beadle's uniform and carrying his staff of office at the top of the Livery Hall staircase. The Beadle part of his duties are these days essentially ceremonial but three or four decades ago the Beadle had a wide range of duties including administering the almshouses, relationships with schools and assisting the Clerk in the conduct of a wide range of business.

After seventeen outstanding years as the Company's Beadle, where he has principally led the Hall catering and banqueting team, John Freestone has decided to move on and try his hand as Clerk to the Paviors' Company.

John had extensive experience working in top West End hotels and clubs before moving to the Company. Over the years he has built up an outstanding reputation as one of the best operators in the City in his field. He is unfailingly courteous and considerate of his guests' needs and makes everyone feel special. He also has the knack of running complex events in an unflustered and understated way. Those who know him know that this is only achieved by an unerring eye for detail and the most meticulous pre-planning.

He is now moving from Beadle to Clerk where I am sure he will be a similar success. I am most grateful for all he has done in my year as Master and I am certain he will get a memorable send-off at the Election Dinner on 26 July, his final event with the Company.

RE-INSTITUTION OF THE DRAPERS' COMPANY MEDAL: JULY 2011

2011-07-10T13:52:00.005+01:00

The latest version of the Drapers' medal using the most recent interpretation of the Company's coat of arms. The medal is shown about one and a quarter times its actual size. The reverse has a laurel wreath surrounding a space for naming the recipient and other details.

There are frequent references in the archives of the Company of medals being awarded or presented, particularly at ceremonial occasions, up to the 1890s. Thereafter the trail seems to stop, although a commemorative medal was struck for the Company's 600th anniversary in 1938.

Last year the Court of Wardens in reviewing the Company's gifts and presentations policy decided to reinstitute the medal. In a competition Fattorini's came up with a simple and elegant design using the latest version of the Company's coat of arms.

It is proposed that the medal should be presented for a number of purposes. These include school awards, to members of the Company staff for long service and residents of the almshouses. For the latter those who are over 85 years old and have been resident for at least five years.

I presented the first medal to schools at Bancroft's on Visitation Day on 1 July, see separate post, and on 14 July I shall be visiting the almshouses for a series of presentation ceremonies.

BANCROFT'S SCHOOL VISITATION DAY: 1 JULY

2011-07-03T21:53:00.000+01:00

Each year around the beginning of July the Master and Wardens make their annual Visitation to Bancroft's School. As with all other Company visitations the purpose is now entirely ceremonial. There is no longer any examination of staff or pupil competence as there was a hundred years ago. In fact the level and diversity of academic achievement at the school would rule me out as an examiner much above Prep school. Instead there are many opportunities throughout the day to meet everyone associated with the school including governors, Bancroftians - both at the school and leavers- and staff .

The day started with an excellent musical performance at the Preparatory School that is traditionally intertwined with prizegiving. We then set off for lunch in the Head's garden.

However I had been asked by Past Master Stephen Foakes, Chairman of Governors, whether I would be prepared to unveil a plaque commemorating the completion of some very handsome art rooms and an study room for the sixth form. I was, of course, was most honoured. But as I drew back the black crepe curtain and was about to announce the building open I suddenly realised it was not called the Art and Sixth Form Block but had been re-named the Lyons' Building. It was a total 'gotcha' moment. Everyone else was in on the secret and photos will be posted in due course.

It was explained that the reason was that my surname is a lot shorter than using the term Arts and Sixth Form Block. Whatever the reason I am deeply honoured. I was a governor at the school from 2002 to 2008 and Chairman for most of that period. It was a time when we embarked on a huge modernisation programme that still continues. It is a very odd experience to be recognised in this way and I am deeply touched that the governors and staff felt this was an appropriate thing to do.

After lunch it was prizegiving and speeches. I presented the first Drapers' Company Medal to a school (see another post this month) and also got to have a go on a piece of sports equipment. (Details follow)

Then it was off to visit exhibits and a final cup of tea and slice of cake.

As is now normal the sun shone throughout the day. The cricket match ebbed and flowed throughout the morning and afternoon and I had been both deeply surprised and honoured in equal measure.

COOK'S SUMMER COURT LUNCHEON: 29 JUNE

2011-06-30T13:39:00.000+01:00

At lunchtime on Wednesday I was in Mercers' Hall for the Worshipful Company of Cook's Summer Court Luncheon. The Cooks still play a part in their trade and support a wide range of cookery initiatives. For more details of this Company go to http://www.cookslivery.org.uk/ The Company also has the distinction of having the smallest livery of any City company, numbering 75 individuals. A typical livery, if there be such a thing, is around 250-300 in number.

I have known the Cooks for some time. Before the formation of the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993 one of its predecessors was the Army Catering Corps and there was a natural affinity between the two organisations. The Royal Logistic Corps fully supported keeping these linkages going and the Cooks, along with the Carmen, Gold and Sylver Wyre Drawers and Launderers were the original four. Since then the list has grown with an increasing number of unit affiliations, such as 151 Regiment RLC(V) with the Marketors. When I was Head of the Royal Logistic Corps in the late nineties the then Master Cook, Don Hodgson, made me most welcome.

The Company has interesting court members and I found debate about catering and the livery companies particularly interesting. The Drapers' Company runs its own in-house catering and banqueting organisation and we seek to maintain the highest standards in a competitive market place. I understand the current Warden, Bev Puxley, is keen to highlight the catering aspects of the livery movement if elected Master next year.

WENT THE DAY WELL?- HELP FOR HEROES RECITAL: 29 JUNE

2011-06-29T23:37:00.005+01:00

Two extraordinarily enterprising sixth formers at St Paul's School: Alex Bridle and Tom Jackson have set up a most dynamic fundraising programme for Help for Heroes using the line from John Maxwell Edmonds' (1875-1958) World War One poem of the same name as their inspiration. For more details go to http://wentthedaywell.co.uk/

Tom has a younger brother, Harry, who is a Chorister at St Paul's - in fact he is the Drapers' Chorister. The family connection with the Choristers was the principal reason that led to many hundreds attending a recital held in the cathedral that featured the choristers and Simon Johnson the cathedral organist. There was a beautiful programme of music ranging from 7th Century plainsong, through Handel and including twentieth century works by Benjamin Britten and John Rutter (born 1945).

But the highlight was undoubtedly the first performance of Ben Parry's setting of Edmonds' Went the Day Well. It is a most interesting piece very beautifully constructed and certainly requiring careful listening a number of times to appreciate fully. Ben had met Alex and Tom when he taught at St Paul's School. For more details of this interesting and clearly inspirational composer, conductor, teacher and performer go to http://www.benparry.org/

Most fundraisers would think that setting up a rectal evening with the Duchess of Gloucester as principal guest as well as a large number of City well-wishers, including the Lord Lieutenant of London - Sir David Brewer, would be resting on their well-earned laurels. But they are driven by their cause and were shortly about to embark on a sponsored cycle ride from John o' Groats to Land's End. Totally impressive.

Incidentally in a brief meeting with the Duchess of Gloucester she recalled her recent visit to Drapers' Academy and was still clearly impressed with the changes the Principal, Matthew Slater, and his team were already achieving in the relatively short time the Academy has been open.

Do support Went the Day Well if you can.

COMMON HALL FOR THE ELECTION OF SHERIFFS AND OTHER OFFICERS: 24 JUNE

2011-06-29T22:52:00.005+01:00

To Guildhall on Friday morning to attend Common Hall for the election of the two Sheriffs and a number of other City officers including the Auditors and the more romantically titled Ale Connors and Bridgemasters. Every liveryman has a vote. It was thus a very crowded affair. Not only was Guildhall's main hall full to capacity but two other adjacent rooms were packed out as well. In all some 1300 members of the livery were present. The masters of the 108 companies attend fully robed, entering and leaving Guildhall in a colourful snake. The Great Twelve masters sit on the dais with the Aldermen, City officials as well as the candidates and their agents. Although smartly carpeted these days the floors are strewn with scented lavendar to recollect the days when the City was a lot less sanitary.

The ceremony is probably the last surviving where one gets a sense of the public elections that existed before the Great Reform Act of 1832. The rituals of describing the course of the election in a loud and determined manner by bewigged officials, the candidates making appeals for support and why they should be given the vote and finally a show of hands for each candidate in turn to shouts of 'All'. The only thing missing are the Hogarthesque additions of free flowing ale, outbreaks of fisticuffs, open bribery and the yeomanry ready to ride in an quell any disturbance. It is much more genteel and honest these days.

The election of the two Sheriffs was the principal focus of interest. Each Sheriff has similar duties and both spend their year of office based at the Old Bailey. However their subsequent civic careers are different. One Sheriff is known as the Aldermanic Sheriff and is a junior Alderman standing with the expectation that, after serving, he/she will subsequently be considered for Lord Mayor. The other appointment, the Lay Sheriff, represents the livery and although sometimes a common councillor of the City this is not a mandatory requirement. Election to be Lay Sheriff does come with the expectation of further advancement.

This year there was one candidate for Aldermanic Sheriff: Alderman Alan Yarrow, but three for Lay Sheriff: Nick Bonham, Wendy Mead and Andrew Whitton. Readers of this blog will know that I am a supporter of Andrew Whitton but I fear that my support, including blog posts, was not sufficient to make a major difference. The final count of votes showed Wendy Mead in the lead with 550, Nick Bonham second with 505 and, finally, Andrew with 194.

The current rules meant that there was no clear result as the leader was not 10% of the total votes cast ahead of the second placed candidate. So there will be a second round of voting at Guildhall, this time using the more conventional ballot box, on Friday 8 July. Andrew has done the honorable thing and withdrawn - although for technical reasons his name still appears on the ballot papers - and there will now be a two cornered contest. I shall not declare my voting intention as to do so would be to embark on a 'party political.' I shall however write after the voting next week with further thoughts and observations.

Incidentally the Ale Connors, Bridgemasters and Auditors were all elected unopposed Somewhere in the proceedings we were also taken through the Report of the Livery Committee but this was a little-regarded vignette to the main purpose of the morning.

GUILDHALL EDUCATION LUNCH: 23 JUNE

2011-06-25T14:34:00.006+01:00

Michael Gove MP, 'a whirlwind of ideas all delivered with perfect lucidity.'

To give this lunch its full title it was 'To Mark the Continuing Importance of Education to the City and the Nation.' It was hosted by the Lord Mayor and included a very wide cross-section of guests: CEOs of the big City-based companies, Livery Companies with a major involvement in education, heads of major schools with a City or Livery link, representatives from a wide variety of educational charities as well as representatives from the civic City. Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, was the principal guest and speaker. David Levin, headmaster City of London School and currently Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference - the first time a head of the City of London School has held this appointment - also spoke.

Michael Gove continues to be a whirlwind of ideas all delivered with perfect lucidity. His particular theme at the lunch was that the independent sector must do more to help raise standards in the less well performing maintained schools. In fact the Livery Companies do a lot already and the Mercers and Haberdashers were singled out in the Economist's Bagehot column on 25 June as being leaders in this field. The Drapers do not run education on the scale of either of these fellow members of the Great XII. Nevertheless even though our Drapers' Academy is not quite a year old we are already beginning to see links develop with Bancroft's School as well as with other Drapers' schools and universities further away.

Those who have read this blog from its start last summer will recall that Michael Gove, in his first few weeks in office, certainly caused us considerable disquiet when it appeared that he might cancel the Drapers' Academy new buildings. At that time he was not particularly popular - a measured understatement - with the Academy project team. But this is now all behind us. I do not agree with everything he says but his robust and consistent championing of good education for everyone and the action he is taking to achieve it has been of considerable help in our work at the Academy over the past year.

HACKNEY CARRIAGE DRIVERS 23 JUNE

2011-06-24T23:32:00.004+01:00

One of the livery movement's more distinctive companies are the Hackney Carriage Drivers. Esssentially the only way you can join the Company is to have passed the 'knowledge', the unique test that requires every black cab driver to have an encyclopaedic recollecrtion of all the streets within six miles of Charing Cross.

The Company is very active chartiably and, in particular, organises the Magical Taxi Tour annual trip to Eurodisney for children, and their families, who are bravely fighting serious medical conditions. Longstanding readers of this blog will recall I saw the departure of the last outing to Paris from Canary Wharf some ten months ago. For more details of the Company go to their interesting website http://www.hackneycarriagedriverscompany.com/ and the Magical Taxi Tour at http://www.magicaltaxitour.com/

On Thursday Rosemary and I were invited to attend the Company's Founders Day Dinner that was held at Drapers' Hall. As I have mentioned in earlier posts where I have been a guest in my own Hall it was a most relaxing and enjoyable experience.

The guest speaker was Sir Christopher Meyer who is probably best known when he was our ambassador in Washington from 1997 to 2003 and his subsequent book on his experiences DC Confidential. As was to be expected he was a tremendous raconteur covering a huge range of topics and ideas with wit and pace.

I particularly liked an anecdote from Blair's first visit to see George Bush. It had started very well. So much so that Bush stayed up after 10.30pm, which was most unusual, to watch a film with Tony Blair. It was Meet the Fockers. In the opening sequence of the film when it became clear that the hero was called Gaylord Focker Bush went into hysterical fits of laughter almost choking on the popcorn served in special buckets bearing the presidential seal.

Master Jim Rainbird is having a most successful year leading his Company and both Rosemary and I much enjoyed being the guests of such a friendly and effective company.

COMMON HALL 24 JUNE: RAISE YOUR HAND FOR ANDREW WHITTON

2011-06-23T18:26:00.002+01:00

There is every prospect that Common Hall tomorrow is going to be a crowded affair. There are three runners for Lay Sheriff and although all are excellent candidates I think Andrew Whitton should be the livery's choice.

Whatever the outcome it should be an interesting day tomorrow around midday but I hope you raise your hand for Whitton.

I am required under the rules of the elections to add the following: although the precise wording, particularly the use of the word printing does not seem to have kept up with the advent of the blogosphere.
Promoted, printed and published by Pauline Halliday OBE, 12, Somerset House, Somerset Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5JA. On behalf of Andrew Whitton, Flat 1, No.1, Hayes Place, London NW1 6UE

FIREFIGHTERS RECEPTION AT LONDON FIRE BRIGADE'S MUSEUM: 15 JUNE

2011-06-23T18:19:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday I was invited by Professor David Bland OBE, Master Firefighter, to a Master's Reception and Supper at Winchester House, Southwark. I was delighted to accept, particularly because David is also a member of the St Michael's, Cornhill Parochial Church Council. For more information about the Firefighters' Company go to http://www.firefighterscompany.org/

An all-Victorian hero. Sir Eyre Massey Shaw in his full regalia as a fireman and sporting a splendid array of facial hair that would probably be completely unacceptable on Elf and Safety grounds in these less flamboyant times.

A bit of explanation in that Winchester House is the former home of Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, the first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan (later London) Fire Brigade in it critical formative years between 1861 to 1891. He was a great showman and socialite and much enjoyed encouraging Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, attending fires dressed in an 'improved' and most glamorous fireman's uniform. Eventually Queen Victoria forbade these escapades.

Over the years Winchester House and adjoining buildings have become the home of the London Fire Brigade's Museum. For more details go to www.london-fire.gov.uk/ourMuseum.asp

Shaw is best known today as the 'Captain Shaw' to whom the Fairy Queen in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe addresses herself, wondering if his 'brigade with cold cascade' - clearly Freud had yet to be invented -could quench her great love. Shaw was present in the stalls at the first night of Iolanthe in 1882, and Alice Barnett playing the Fairy Queen, addressed herself directly to him. Legend has it that he stood up and took a bow. Incidentally until I was told the story I always thought it was the Fairy Queen was making a general statement addressed to an impersonal 'captain sure.' I now know better.

The museum is well worth a visit. Yet again it brought back a lot of memories. My responsibilities in the Army on a number of occasions included control of Army Fire Brigade units. Equipment was not often of the most modern and many of the displays of equipment in the museum I had observed in use.

As part of the visit we were also briefed about the London Fire Brigade's excellent work with young people across the city under the general heading of the Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) scheme. If you want to find out more go the LFB site; http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/LocalInterventionFireEducation.asp

ST PAUL'S SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING: 21 JUNE

2011-06-23T12:03:00.002+01:00

A magnificent service, where some three thousand were present, was held at St Paul's on Tuesday morning the celebrate the 300th anniversary of the completion of Christopher Wren's cathedral building.

One of the leitmotifs of my Master's year has been a series of memorable services at St Paul's: the City Guilds Service, the Loriners' Company 750th anniversary service and the Sons of the Clergy celebration. Each is magnificent and entirely appropriate in its own way.

Tuesday's service included as a theme contributions from every part of the diverse team that maintains St Paul's at the heart of City of London life. So, in addition to the Dean and the canons there were prayers offered by members of the IT, Marketing, Finance and Works departments, people who work in the Cathedral Shop and the Cathedral School as well as the friends and volunteers whose support helps keep the cathedral going.

An imagined nineteenth century view of old St Paul's. In the hundred or so years before the cathedral was finally destroyed it had decayed considerably. The spire, that was the tallest in England, was accidentally burnt and entirely destroyed in 1561 and the general fabric of the building was quite dilapidated.

We were reminded during the service of the vicissitudes that attended the hugely ambitious rebuilding of a cathedral after the somewhat dilapidated medieval one, described somewhat imaginatively by John Evelyn as 'One of the most ancient pieces of early piety in the Christian world', had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. Rebuilding took forty-five years. Although it was an act of great civic faith there were the inevitable wrangles over typically recurring issues when it comes to big projects. These covered the 'usual suspects' of project scope, the original plans were much reduced, and cash-flow management; at one point Wren had his salary withheld and it was only reinstated after much wrangling.

HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH Duchess of Gloucester were the principal members of the congregation that also included the Lord Mayor and other members of the civic City and representatives from many of the livery companies.

After an hour and a half of a beautifully presented service it was out into a blustery June day but with a useful reminder of the great legacy of Christopher Wren and those who helped him create a magnificent religious space.

PEWTERERS' MASTER AND WARDENS DINNER: 16 JUNE

2011-06-23T12:02:00.002+01:00

On Thursday evening Alastair Ross and I went to Pewterers' Hall for their Master and Wardens Dinner. The company is still linked with the pewter trade and for more details go to They occupy a charming Hall, rebuilt after the Blitz, on a site between London Wall and Cheapside. For more details of the Company go to http://www.pewterers.org.uk/

I was made most welcome by the Master, Professor John Donaldson, and other members of the Company. As with so many meetings with fellow livery companies it revives memories. My maternal grandfather, Harry Willis, was an inveterate collector. Starting in the 1920s and for some decades thereafter he pursued what were then regarded as highly esoteric interests. These principally were English brass church furnishings, such as candlesticks, from the late medieval and early modern periods, and pewter from the sixteenth and seventeenth century.

I can remember, as a teenager, his interest in makers' marks where I think he was considered one of the leading amateur experts. He would recount at length long passed visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum to discuss newly discovered marks with the curators. At the time the regularly repeated stories seemed a little tedious but they clearly made a long term impression as I now wish I had listened more carefully.

Back to the present a most enjoyable evening at which I was presented with a beautifully made Pewterers' quaich - the traditional Scottish friendship cup - with the design of the vessel including handles using the seahorse supporters from the Company's arms. It is one of a limited edition produced for the current Master and designed by Pewterer liveryman Nigel Israel.

JUNE MASTERS' AND CLERKS' LUNCHEON: 16 JUNE

2011-06-23T12:00:00.001+01:00

My fellow Master Bloggers, Julia Adley of the Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders and Jim Surguy the Master Marketor, see links below, both posted this lunch first and was most flattering about it. I can add little but to provide a bit more background and mention further details of a race that took place at Royal Ascot while we were dining.

The luncheon following the month's Court meeting is one where we invite all the livery companies that have links in a number of ways with the Company most typically because it provides us an opportunity to reciprocate hospitality.

This year a total of forty-eight Companies were able to attend. Of these five were companies from outside London, including our sister Draper Companies in Shrewsbury and Coventry, with the remainder being fellow London companies.

The luncheon comes at a time of the year when the majority of the Masters have been on office between eight and ten months. Acquaintanceships, and in many cases friendships, have been made. As a consequence any event of this type with over a hundred attending is almost bound to be a success. I think Thursday did not disappoint.

It was also Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot. But on balance it was much more comfortable in the Hall as the day was rather sodden. Towards the close of business at the Court meeting preceding Junior Warden William Charnley announced he was part owner of a horse running that day. He went on to describe the merits of Pyman's Theory running in the 2.30 Norfolk Stakes and trained by Tom Dascombe. He further went on to reassure us it was a firm favourite. The Court collectively decided to support their Junior Warden's excellent judgement by placing bets. Unfortunately news emerged after 2.30pm that the five furlongs of soggy going had proved too much even for a horse with a penchant for this type of race. Pyman's Theory had been unplaced.

But it was such a good lunch that the slightly disappointing news was quickly forgotten.

MANSION HOUSE SCHOLARS 2010 RECEPTION: 13 JUNE

2011-06-23T11:57:00.001+01:00

The Mansion House Scholarship scheme was established in 1997 to provide promising individuals the opportunity to study or gain work experience in the UK, typically at postgraduate level, with a view developing their careers in the financial sector. Past Master Sir Michael Craig Cooper, Master Draper in 1997, played a major part in setting the scheme up and the Company still supports it with a cash grant every year. For more details go to http://www.mansionhousescholars.org.uk/

A reception was held on Monday evening at the offices of SEB in Cannon Street. A most interesting and impressive group of young men and women from across the world who were either past or current scholars were present.

Clearly it is a project with a lot of energy behind it, including the fullest support from the Lord Mayor, and plays a part in sustaining the high reputation of the City as a global financial centre.

BIRTHDAY HONOURS 2011

2011-06-21T09:39:00.056+01:00

Ray Wilkinson QVRM, TD

There was only one Draper on the Birthday Honours list but his award was an unusual one. Our congratulations go to Liveryman Ray Wilkinson was awarded the Queen's Volunteer Reserve Medal (QVRM). This is a scarce award to outstanding members of the reserve forces of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. All ranks are eligible but only about a dozen awards are made annually. It is now the only specific award for service to reservists that results in post-nominal letters as these days the Territorial Decoration (TD), and other awards for long service in the reserves, are no longer eligible. However as Ray was awarded his TD before the change of rules in 1999 he is entitled to denote himself QVRM, TD.

Ray Wilkinson was admitted to the Freedom by Redemption in 2000, Called to the Livery in 2001 and has been a governor of the Sir William Boreman Trust. He is also a member of the Friends of Drapers Almshouses (FODAH) team visiting residents of Walters Close.

He came into the Company through his links with one our affiliated regiment, 71^st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment, a Territorial Army unit with which the Company has been connected since 1982. He was commanding officer of the unit. His military career included service as a regular officer and attendance at Sandhurst. He currently holds the rank of colonel.

Away from his military career he has been Chief Executive of Victim Support WorkForce and now Director of the Best Practice Club. He is also Chairman of Working with Words, an aspiring social enterprise based in Greenwich which trains and employs people with learning disabilities to produce accessible information in printed, electronic, audio and graphic formats.

The QVRM is presented by the monarch at one the series of investiture ceremonies throughout the year. We have not had reports yet as to whether Ray has actually received his medal.

The Queen's Volunteer Reserve Medal

COMPANY SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT: 10 JUNE

2011-06-20T22:41:00.003+01:00

Each year in June the Hall becomes the venue for the Company's Summer Entertainment. It is a unique social event in the Company year as all Liverymen and Freemen, as well as those who work for the Company are invited and can bring partners.

Over the years the Summer Entertainment has taken a number of forms including opera performances, a formal dinner and last year's most original Sunday gathering where then Master Graham Zellick had a Jewish theme including a tour of the Bevis Marks synagogue.

This year we decided to stage a ball. This involved a dinner using three of the four large rooms of the Hall, Scottish country dancing in marquee erected specially in Throgmorton Avenue - this is a Drapers' private street but I regret some commuters seemed peeved to find their rat run between Bank and London Wall blocked - and the Drawing Room for a small band.

Over 360 attended. Gerald Quadros and his team prepared an excellent dinner. John Freestone had organised an excellent seating plan that mingled old and new acquaitances. He also organised the running of the evening seamlessly.

Where he has no control was over the standard of Scottish country dancing. Purists from north of the Border might object that some of the sets lacked precision but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was certainly an ice-breaker.

The evening finished with a traditional breakfast after midnight.

It was an excellently run event that was much enjoyed by all those who attended. Equally importantly it was a chance for the Company to come together as a whole.

CARPENTERS' COURT LADIES' DINNER: 8 JUNE

2011-06-20T11:55:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday Alastair and I, despite the title of the dinner without our wives, were invited to the Carpenters.

The Carpenters are our closest neighbours. They have occupied the northern end of Throgmorton Avenue, we are at the southern end. for about the same length of time but I think they may have bought the site just ahead of our forced purchase of part of Thomas Cromwell's estate in 1543. Our local property holdings still abut each other.

When our Hall was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 we were taken in by the Carpenters whose Hall, no more than 200 meters to the north of ours, had been just outside the area of extensive fire damage. We reciporocated in 1941 when the Carpenters' Hall was lost in the Blitz and ours miraculously escaped unscathed.

The Carpenters Company continues to play a leading part in its trade and is particularly active in East London. Most notably they sponsor the Building Crafts College in Stratford and Carpenters' and Docklands Centre, also in Stratford. In the inevitable way that property and philanthropy seem to be linked in the London livery companies this focus derives from a 63 acre farm in West Ham bought by the Company in 1767. For more details go to http://www.thecarpenterscompany.co.uk/

The current Master is Giles Downes CVO, a noted architect who played a major part in the imaginative restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire in the annus horribilis of 1992. He and his wardens made us most welcome.

It was an opportunity to meet with our close neighbours and the short walk back to the Masters' flat in the Hall presented just the right time for a modest constitutional before turning in.

WEAVERS' COURT BREAKFAST: 7 JUNE

2011-06-10T23:04:00.000+01:00

As a sister company with links to the textile trade we meet the Weavers socially at regular intervals. As a consequence I was invited to the Weavers' Court Breakfast held at the Tallow Chandlers attractive hall on Tuesday. In truth the breakfast of the title is not modern usage and we were entertained to a good Court lunch.

The senior Weaver holds the unique title of Upper Bailliff that is always solemnly included with the normal title of master and the somewhat more rarely encountered prime warden. The current Upper Bailliff is John Pilling, a successful businessmen in the textiles industry.

It was an enjoyable lunch and a good opportunity to compare notes with a sister company with parallel interests.

GARETH CLUTTON: I FORGOT TO MENTION THE FEDORA

2011-06-06T22:57:00.000+01:00

Followers of this blog will I know wish to see, if they did not get a look at the City Pages of Friday's Evening Standard, a most warm reminiscence of Gareth Clutton.

In my post of a few days ago I quite forgot to mention the distinctive black fedora and voluminous coat. from the bottom of which there were nearly always visible trousers with turn-ups. This quite unforgettable combination was memorably one's first sighting of Gareth in winter months as he came down Throgmorton Avenue to the Hall.

Incidentally, the Memorial Service mentioned is planned for 8 July at St Sepulchres-without-Newgate at 11.30am and afterwards at the Hall.

COACHMAKERS' AND COACH HARNESS MAKERS' GALA DINNER: 1 JUNE

2011-06-06T21:52:00.000+01:00

The coat of arms of the Company. I think the yellow carriages are charming.

The Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers, led by their Master Vice Admiral Tim Laurence (knighted and appointed KCVO shortly afterwards), staged a superb Gala Banquet at the Guildhall on 1 June. Both Rosemary and I were privileged to be invited. The Master Coachmaker was accompanied by HRH Princess Royal, who is Master Butcher for this year.

The evening began with Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines in the Guildhall Yard who beat retreat in a most impressive fashion. We then went into Guildhall which was described in the Master's speech as one of the most memorable spaces in London, if not in England.

We had an evening of entertainment including City of London Sinfonia with Emily Garland soprano, a performing group that interpreted con vivace and con molto brio arias from Verdi and Puccini. Finally there was a sparkling dance performance by the now famous Strictly Come Dancing personality Anton du Beke and Erin Boag.

The evening had a seroius side which was to raise money for Motorvations http://www.motorvations.net/
as well as highlight the other charitable work of the Company. For more details go to http://www.coachmakers.co.uk/

One gained the impression that the Company had come together to stage an excellent evening. It was both a privilege and great fun to be a guest.

A PERSONAL VIEW: ANDREW WHITTON FOR LAY SHERIFF

2011-06-02T23:07:00.001+01:00

This blog, although entitled Master Draper, is, of course, entirely my personal view. This is one particular post where I am going to be especially partisan.

Those who have received the addresses for the three candidates for Lay Sheriff standing for election on 24 June may note that my name appears on Andrew Whitton's address as one of his supporters. I am not the only Draper to be on this list; Past Master Sir Michael Craig-Cooper and Junior Warden William Charnley also appear.

In a contested election for Lay Sheriff it is always invidious to select one candidate ahead of another. Both Nicholas Bonham and Wendy Mead CC are excellent candidates. But I think on balance, and after careful consideration, Andrew just wins by a nose (and a moustache).

His financial background is particularly important at this time in the City's development where the issues we face are complex and require clear understanding in what is going to be an ongoing and difficult debate. Also his international experience, especially in the Middle East, is most valuable at a time when many parts of the world are in considerable flux and a knowledgeable individual has much to contribute.

Equally importantly Andrew is a very active supporter of the wider livery movement. I have no doubt he will be a most effective champion on our behalf as well as having just the right personality to help resolve the inevitable internal differences that can arise.

So in summary, although we are fortunate to have three excellent candidates standing, Andrew has, from my viewpoint, just the right combination of experience and personality to be our Lay Sheriff for next year.

I reiterate this is a personal view and equally importantly whether you vote for Andrew or not, and I really hope you will give him your support, do your bit our City democracy by casting your vote at Common Hall on Friday 24 June at twelve noon.

I am required under the rules of the elections to add the following: although the precise wording, particularly the use of the word printing does not seem to have kept up with the advent of the blogosphere.

Promoted, printed and published by Pauline Halliday OBE, 12, Somerset House, Somerset Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5JA. On behalf of Andrew Whitton, Flat 1, No.1, Hayes Place, London NW1 6UA

GARETH CLUTTON: 1960-2011

2011-06-02T18:48:00.001+01:00

I have taken this picture of Gareth in the garden at home relaxing after work from the Caring Bridge site. I think it captures his personality just right.

The news was not at all unexpected but sad nevertheless. Gareth, after a few weeks heroic final struggle against a particularly virulent form of cancer, died on Saturday morning. Many of us had followed his family's postings on Caring Bridge -see http://m.caringbridge.org/visit/garethclutton - with great admiration in the way that Fiona, his wife, their children Anna, Rafe and George had handled this huge personal tragedy with great spirit and warmth.

Gareth was by birth almost bound to be a surveyor and to enter the family firm of Cluttons, he was the sixth generation of the family to be a partner in the firm. His evident experience and popularity resulted in his being invited into the Drapers' Company in 2003. Past Master Martin Sankey, a one-time fellow partner from Cluttons, played a major part in this. In 2008 he left Cluttons to be the Chief Executive of Portman Estates and a major influence in the London and wider property market.

From his earliest time in the Company he played a positive and constructive role. I can recall his efficiency as a fellow governor of Bancroft's School. Subsequently he was on the Investments Committee with, of course, a big contribution to make on some major property decisions affecting the Company. He was elected to the Court in 2009 and had a successful year as Junior Warden. He was just beginning to get into his stride as a major player in Court life when a second occurrence of melanoma proved to be fatal.

An individual of great acuity with an unerring eye for the uncomfortable detail. This precision was accompanied by a dry wit and a natural ability to socialise. An abiding memory is a general zest for life aided by the odd glass of fine wine and a decent cigar.

Our loss is very great but of course it pales into nothing with that of his immediate and wider family. I can do more than conclude in his wife Fiona's words:

'To say that he lost his battle with cancer would imply that he was struggling against it, which is simply not the case. He walked calmly and courageously with it until he could do so no more. He soldiered on for weeks without any sign of fear or unrest, beating the doctor’s best estimates by a country mile, and when he finally ran out of energy he did so peacefully and with his usual dignity.

Whilst the last few months have been the hardest of our lives they have given us some truly wonderful memories, for which we will always be so grateful. Gareth spent his last couple of months exactly how he said he’d wanted to, at home enjoying the company of many old friends and surrounded by the three things he loved the most, cigars, fine wine and his adoring family.'

Had he lived he would have been an outstanding Master.

375th CUTLERS' FEAST: SHEFFIELD: 19 MAY

2011-05-31T21:41:00.001+01:00

The Cutlers of Hallamshire coat of arms from a stained glass window at Cutlers' Hall

In cutler's ironwork we have in Sheffield the best of its kind by English hands. Unsurpassable when the workman chooses to do all he knows by that of any living nation.

John Ruskin - Inscribed as a frieze around the Livery Hall

I have reported earlier on the Cutlers of Hallamshire and their indefatigable championing of the Sheffield city region, traditionally known as Hallamshire, and its industries. The Cutlers of Hallamshire were generous to invite me to their Cutlers' Feast this year, the 375th recorded. It was held at their most impressive Hall in the centre of Sheffield. For more details of the Company go to http://www.cutlers-hallamshire.org.uk/

It was a substantial event with over 300 present. A large numbers of members of the Company were dining as well as prominent individuals connected with Sheffield. The atmosphere was one of determination to promote the prosperity of the region. This formed the basis of the address by Pamela Liversedge OBE, Senior Warden, who proposed the toast Hallamshire and the Future. It was a thoughtful and accomplished speech focusing on both the opportunities and challenges facing manufacturing today. The response by Lord Bhattacharyya CBE reinforced this theme.

Two subsequent speeches by the current Master, Professor William Speirs, and Rt Hon Richard Caborn further concentrated on the huge potential of the region. I was also fortunate to sit next to the newly appointed Lord Mayor, Cllr Dr Sylvia Dunkley. She has a hugely wide interests ranging through history, particularly that of Sheffield, as well as being director of her family engineering firm that makes very advanced products by atomising of liquid metals. Go to http://www.atomising.co.uk/ to find out more.

It was most enjoyable evening combining good fellowship with a sense of purpose. At an earlier presentation this year Bill Speirs had said 'Sheffield ans quality are synonymous. I could not agree more.

SONS OF THE CLERGY, 357th ANNUAL SERVICE, ST PAULS: 17 MAY

2011-05-31T21:40:00.000+01:00

Not this year's service but it gives a passing impression of this most impressive splendid and impressive service

With the only exception being great national events, such as the recent Royal Wedding, without doubt the most impressive service in the Church of England's year is the Sons of the Clergy Service held at St Paul's in May each year. The service is also certainly unique as it has been held annually without a break since the Sons of the Clergy were founded in 1655. Its original purpose was to help Church of England clergy who were faring badly under the puritanism of the Commonwealth. This year was thus the 357th service.

Today the religious struggles of the mid-seventeenth century are long passed and Sons of the Clergy continues to be a major charity helping clergymen and their families for more details go to http://www.sonsoftheclergy.org.uk/

To return to the service at St Paul's. As a major charity of the Church of England it was a splendid affair. Massed choirs, massed bishops, marvellous hymns and the general ebb and flow of the service with the City and Livery present in full regalia created a great momentum that assailed both the senses immediately and the spirit in slightly slower time.

Afterwards there was a dinner at Merchant Taylors' Hall where I was fortunate to sit next to David Rossdale, Bishop of Grimsby, who turned out to be great advocate of academies. It was good to share experiences that, in many ways, despite the differences between rural Lincolnshire and East London were very similar. Incidentally I did not find out at the time but he is a fellow blogger: www.davidrossdale.wordpress.com

DINNER AT PEMBROKE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE: 16 MAY

2011-05-31T20:33:00.001+01:00

On Monday evening Alastair Ross and myself travelled up to Cambridge on a packed commuter train for dinner at Pembroke College. The two worlds of railways and university could not be more different. It was a beautiful late spring evening and the onset of dusk amongst the quietness of the Cambridge colleges was in sharp contrast to the elbowing for even the most marginal position of comfort on the Lea Valley line, the constant ringing of mobiles and the hissing of iPods.

This annual event is the formal recognition of the long-standing arrangement where the Company supports Drapers' Fellows at the College. There are usually three Drapers' Fellows every four years with two fellowships in every four year cycle for science related subjects and the other for humanities.

We were joined at Pembroke College by Junior Warden William Charnley, who is a fellow of the College and a benefactor of the university, and Liveryman Jonathan Trower who is an alumnus.

Sir Richard Dearlove, a past director of SIS - or MI6 to those who do not keep closely abreast of Whitehall reorganisations - and the current Master, made us most welcome and we met a selection of Drapers' Fellows and other members of the College. The fellowships cover an extraordinarily wide range of subjects: studies of meerkat behaviour in relation to human psychology, reconstructing proto Greek and Latin, consideration of historiography in late second century AD China and considerations of philosophy that I regret to say were well beyond me. Next year's Fellow is the entirely appropriately named Sky French who is working on particle physics and spending some time at the Large Hadron Collider.

We had a most enjoyable dinner. It had been decided that Monday's should be a vegetarian day for those dining in College and the only concession to our visit was that there was a fish main course on the top table. It was a most enjoyable meal and with the prospect of three further dinners that week the lightness of vegetarian cuisine was most welcome.

Sir Richard in welcoming us noted how many Drapers' Fellows had made their mark both within the College and further afield. Our support over the years had suppored some key first steps for many distinguished scholars of today. Yet again, as with so many other academic visits this year, it was clear that the Company's consistent contribution over the years had helped individuals grow and develop in exceptional ways.

MERCHANT VENTURERS OF BRISTOL: 13 MAY

2011-05-30T09:45:00.000+01:00

Coat of arms of the Merchant Venturers of Bristol

On Friday Alastair Ross and myself travelled to Bristol to dine with the Merchant Venturers of Bristol. The Merchant Venturers are a very active livery company carrying out a most impressive range of activity. This is related particularly to the support of school and care of the elderly. In addition to Colston's School, an independent school, the Company sponsors two academies in Bristol. Care of the elderly is conducted principally through the St Monica Trust that looks after some 800 people locally. For more details go to http://www.merchantventurers.com/ The ancient Hall of the Company was destroyed by bombing in 1941 and the Company is now located in a large and elegant base in Clifton within the shadow of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Giles Clarke continues a tradition set by both his father and grandfather in being Master. He is a well known serial entrepreneur and, as a great fan of cricket is currently the Chairman of the English Cricket Board and has guided the national team to some recent notable successes. Additionally he is a fluent Arab speaker and only a little further behind with Persian.

He told me that his English Cricket Board visits, especially to the Indian sub-continent had allowed him to indulge in his interest of military history and he had recently visited the site of the Battle of Plassey 1757. We agreed it was hardly a monumental feat of arms. The crushing British victory relied essentially on Robert Clive's organisational competence but even more on his brilliant ability to manipulate the Bengali princes and military leaders and ensure the right people were paid off so as not to participate. Plassey, some 150 miles north of Calcutta on the banks of the Bhagirati River, is Giles admitted not much to look at but getting there is a challenge across miles of provincial roads and is now in an area where bodyguards are strongly advised.

As a boy I knew Bristol well as an uncle, Reggie Holloway who was married to my mother's sister, lived there. He was a well known Bristol character being under-sheriff for many years as well as being the Chairman of both Gloucester Cricket Club and Bristol Rovers he was also an outstanding bridge player. It was good to know that although he died in 1980 he is still remembered and Giles in particular said his cricketing interests had been, in part, stimulated by him. It is interesting how lives intersect.

GUERRILLA WARFARE ON THE CENTRAL LINE

2011-05-26T17:22:00.003+01:00

A renamed Sheperd's Pie connected to the Overground at Gas Mark 4.

I occasionally follow two informative and entertaining blogs about London's Transport. London Reconnections londonreconnections.blogspot.com and Going Underground - the name of the site inspired by The Jam hit - london-underground.blogspot.com

The latter has recently posted the story of a team known as Stickers on the Central Line stickersonthecentralline.tumblr.com who are determined to change the Central Line car route diagrams. These are just two selections from an ever expanding website.

Although I use the Central Line regularly, I have not seen any yet. Of course I could not possibly condone attempts to spread misinformation and cause more confusion than normal on the Underground. Nevertheless as they potentially make travel on the Central Line marginally more interesting, on balance, these 'improved' line diagrams must be a good thing.

An additional service inserted just before Buckhurst Hill. It has been repported, in I think Metro, that Transport for London 'chiefs' are concerned that French tourists have been flocking to Buckhurst Hill in an attempt to get back to Paris. I sense there is another urban myth in the making.

I am not sure whether Stickers on the Central Line is diversifying but I think this is quite a helpful sticker when PIXC, Passengers in Excess of Capacity, or Pixie, as this particular form of deep discomfort is cheerfully vocalised by railway planners, becomes pressing.

I look forward to seeing if anything happens!

GREAT XII HALL OF FAME

2011-05-26T17:01:00.001+01:00

At Salters' Hall on Wednesday 12 May the Masters - Prime Wardens in the case of the Fishmongers and Goldsmiths - attended their last Great XII Masters and Clerks Dinner of the 2010/11 year. It was an excellent end to a most interesting series of dinners.

At each of the dinners the Master Mercer speaks and this year's Master Mercer, Sir David Clementi, has devoted a part of his speech to consider a former member of the Company - the only rule is the individual is deceased - in whose Hall we are dining as a candidate to enter a Great XII Hall of Fame.

On Thursday the final, Salter, candidate was revealed to complete a list comprising the following:

Mercers: Sir Richard Whittington (c.1354-1423) was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London.

Grocers: Sir John Houblon (1632-1712) was the first Governor of the Bank of England from 1694 to 1697.

Drapers: The 6th Marquess of Exeter (1905-1981), styled Lord Burghley before 1956 and also known as David Burghley, was an English athlete, sports official and Conservative Party politician. He won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics. David Burgley was a particular interest of the Master Mercer as in his athletic prime he managed to match the time of 53.4 seconds Burghley set in the Olympics some fifty years previously. Also one of David Burghley's daughters, Lady Victoria Leatham, is currently Second Master Warden.

Fishmongers: Sir William Walworth (circa 1330-1386) A wealthy fishmonger and mayor of London in 1374. During the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 Walworth's moment came when the rebel leaders and the young King Richard II were discussing terms of ending the rebellion at Smithfield. The story is somewhat blurred, but it is reported that, unhappy with the way Tyler was speaking to the king, Walworth dealt the rebel leader a blow with his sword, either killing him outright or gravely wounding him. With Tyler's death, the rebellion swiftly ended.

Goldsmiths: Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) the best-known English silversmith of his generation. He is generally held to be the greatest silversmith working in England in the 18th century.

Merchant Taylors: Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) an English clergyman and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Quen Elizabet and King James. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester and oversaw the translation of the Authorized Version (or King James Version) of the Bible.

Skinners: Michael Joseph Oakeshott (1901-1990) was an English philosopher and political theorist who wrote about philosophy of history, philosophy of religion, aesthetics, and philosophy of law. He is widely regarded as one of the most important conservative thinkers of the 20th century.

Haberdashers: Robert Billesden, Lord Mayor in 1483 (I cannot trace any other dates) who famously arbitrated in the dispute of the precedence between the Skinners and Merchant Taylors by saying that they should alternate sixth and seventh seniority each year. The spelling, I understand is crucial, the Skinners favouring Billesdon and the Merchant Taylors (and Haberdashers) Billesden.

Salters: Sir Richard Glyn, 1st Baronet (1711–1773) was a British banker and politician.

Ironmongers: Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (1724-1816) was a Royal Navy hero known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He acted as a mentor to Horatio Nelson.

A relatively recent interpretation of the Feast of the Five Kings at Vintners' Hall. Image courtesy of the Worshipful Company of Vintners

Vintners: Sir Henry Picard (dates very uncertain but probably inconveniently dead by 1361). In 1363 in the City of London there is a story that there took place the famous Feast of the Five Kings. This was the occasion when, as the story goes, Alderman Sir Henry Picard, at that time Master of the Vintners' Company, hosted a dinner and sumptuously feasted King Edward III of England, King John II of France, King David II of Scotland, King Valdemar IV of Denmark and King Peter I Lusignian of Cyprus and many other noblemen. It was the time when the King of Cyprus was travelling around Europe in an attempt to assemble an army for a new crusade. One of his gambits to gain support was to bring his own Cypriot wines to banquets and some were served to great acclaim at the Feast of the Five Kings. I do not believe this is a tradition that the Vintners have maintained in more recent times. It is a powerful legend but difficult to prove. The Master Mercer noted a lot of dates are difficult to reconcile: Picard's possible death in 1361 creates a particular problem, John of France was probably not in London until January 1364 and having Vlademar make a visit to London during a major war betwen Denmark and Sweden takes a bit of explaining.

Clothworkers: Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was a great Royal Naval administrator and MP. He is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man. He rose by patronage to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II and subsequently King James II.

The Master Mercer then went on to consider a seating plan for the Great XII Hall of Fame. This reminded me of the now largely forgotten popular historian Hendrik van Loon. In his 1942 book Van Loon's Lives: Being a true and faithful account of a number of highly interesting meetings with certain historical personages, from Confucious and Plato to Voltaire and Thomas Jefferson, about whom we had always felt a great deal of curiosity and who came to us as dinner guests in a bygone year, he invited deceased great men to dinner. Generally I recollect that the literary conceit was that most meals did not go well, despite the delicious food prepared by his cook, as the most famous tended to be rather self-centered and incapable of interacting with other famous individuals from differing historical periods.

Anyway the seating plan is as follows:

The intention is to create lively conversation with plenty of opportunity for comparative note taking. Thus Clothworker Pepys could compare the progress of the Royal Navy with Ironmonger Hood. Merchant Taylor Andrewes and Skinner Oakshott could return to the events of 1483 with Haberdasher Billesdon/Billesden. It was presumed the present Masters could sit on a nearby table and try and follow what transpired.

Next year it has been suggested that miscellaneous villains and traitors could be conjured up from history. Skeletons in various Great XII livery cupboards will doubtless start rattling if this is the case.

VISIT TO BANGOR UNIVERSITY: 9/10 MAY

2011-05-23T22:17:00.001+01:00

On Monday Alastair Ross, Andy Mellows, our Head of Charities and myself travelled up to North Wales for the the Master's Annual Visit to Bangor University. Our links with the university go back to 1890, only six years after its foundation.

Despite our excellent archives the reason why we began to support the newly created University College of North Wales, as it then was, are obscure. However it is almost certainly connected with the endowment of Thomas Howell (c1480-1537), an immensely rich early sixteenth century. He was born in North Wales and came down to London. In the 1520s he established a major position of domination in the Anglo-Hispanic trade living for many years in Spain during a period that saw the transformation of the country following the discovery of the Americas. He died childless and left his very considerable fortune in trust to the Company.

The story of the Howell's endowment is very complex and for some centuries its prime purpose was to provide dowries for girls of his line or from North Wales. By the mid-nineteenth century the original purpose of the charity 'to provide dowries for deserving Welsh maidens with an indicated preference for orphan girls for orphan girls of his own lineage' seemed to be almost frivolous in a more pragmatic age. The Hall received a regular stream of largely London-based claimants with far fetched stories of descent from Howell's family.

The charity was therefore reorganised by two acts of Parliament to create two Howell's girls' schools at Llandaff and Denbigh and a broader charity to support educational activity in North Wales, today called the Thomas Howell's Fund for Education. Part of the latter, with other Drapers' Company funding, goes to support activities at Bangor University.

A view of the central part of the Bangor University campus looking north to Angelsey across the Menai Strait. The Library, that was built after a large grant had been made by the Company between 1909-11 is the stone building on the left of the tower

Today Bangor is a thriving university occupying a beautiful location on the nort Wales coast. For more details go to www.bangor.ac.uk/

Our host throughout the visit was Professor Colin Baker. Colin is a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University and its Professor of Education. He is also a Freeman of the Company.

We covered a lot of ground during the visit starting with a most pleasant dinner with the recently appointed Vice Chancellor Professor John Hughes and other members of the faculty.

The next morning stated with a visit to the School of Electronic Engineering formerly the focus of a noted Bangor Liveryman Professor Wynn Humphrey Davies. We consider progress arising both from Wynn's recent bequest, of which the Company are trustees, of creating closer links with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by exchanging students. Also we returned to that perennial problem as to how best could we help students with good STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) abilities get into university, especially if family finances are tight.

We then moved to the Council Chamber to consider potential PhD scholarship candidates proposals in Modern Languages and then heard the two currently Draper funded PhD students, Emma Roberts (Compensation for Personal Injury in Europe - Harmonisation on the Horizon? ) and Lauren Mawn (Transformational Leadership and the Student Experience) update us on their work. We were impressed.

We then toured the Library to consider planned work. It is always hard not to get involved as Master when there are Drapers' insignia wherever one looks.

Then it was on to a presentation about the most recent visit of ten undergraduate students from the School of Ocean Science to Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences field school on the Atlantic coast that was partially funded by a Drapers' Company grant. All we spoke to were excited with not only the chance to work in a completely different habitat than the rocky coast of north Wales but also to see a bit of the States.

Finally we reviewed the budget for next year including our contribution to the Hardship fund and an interesting idea of a possible PhD project to consider some part of the Company's archives where much still remains to be studied.

This is a much longer post than normal. But it was really great, and also a little humbling, to see the tremendous enthusiasm and opportunity that Drapers' funding stimulated across this lively university. Our particular thanks to the Vice Chancellor, department heads and especially Prof Colin Baker for a stimulating visit.

TRIAL OF THE PYX GOLDSMITHS' HALL: 6 MAY

2011-05-23T15:59:00.000+01:00

On Friday lunchtime I was invited by the Goldsmiths' Company to be a witness at the Trial of the Pyx. The Trial of the Pyx (A word of Greek derivation referring to the box that held the coins for testing) is an ancient practice whereby the Exchequer, using the expertise of the Goldsmiths' Company Freemen, check the quality of Royal Mint production. These days with the coinage being exclusively of base metal the correct bullion content is not a matter at issue, although commemorative coins and medals are, of course, still struck in precious metals.

The Trial is conducted by the Queen's Remembrancer, the last surviving member of the Court of Exchequer, who wears a most distinctive headdress of a full-bottomed wig with a tricorn hat sewn onto its crown. The Clerk of the Goldsmiths' Company, Dick Melly, read out a precis of the current trail before and assemblage of guests drawn from the City, the Royal Mint - who in a manner of speaking were not guests as their work was on trial - and others.

The Trial was for the first time since 1997 conducted before the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is the Master of the Royal Mint. In recent years the Chancellor's statutory responsibilities to receive the verdict of the Trial has been delegated to a succession of junior ministers. George Osborne's appearance was thus most welcome and he looked the part in a splendid set of robes in black and gold that had originally been made for Gladstone when he was Chancellor of Exchequer - Gladstone in addition to being prime minister four times was also Chancellor of the Exchequer twice for a total of ten years.

Queen's Remembrancer Master Steven Whitaker received Dick Melly's verdict that the coins presented had been found to be within acceptable variation and then proceeded to give a masterly historical overview of the fortunes of the Court of Exchequer over the centuries. It was a story of once great powers successively pruned with himself as the last survivor of the earliest recorded court of England. An outcome that he accepted with dignity.

George Osborne MP received the verdict and congratulated the Royal Mint for yet again passing the Trial. The outgoing Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company, Michael Galsworthy, reflected the opinion of all present when he warmly welcomed the presence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at this ancient ceremony.

RED CROSS COLLECTION CITY OF LONDON: 6 MAY

2011-05-23T15:07:00.000+01:00

On the steps of Fishmongers' Hall with our empty buckets ready to go out and charity mug hapless commuters starting their day's work in the City. I am looking rather serious in the middle at the back and Alastair Ross, the Clerk, is also on the far right in the rear. The two Sheriffs, Fiona Woolf and Richard Sermon, are on the scarlet robes on the middle steps.

The Livery Companies were asked by the Sheriffs to help collect for the British Red Cross on and around London Bridge on the morning and afternoon. To really put the fear into the giving public we were asked to appear in full livery.

I was on the morning shift with Alastair Ross, the Clerk. We started at Fishmongers' Hall, just on the north side of London Bridge. With a number of others I decided to head northwards to Bank and I set up post outside one of the exits.

It has to be said, after at least a couple of hours close observation that the average commuter leaving Bank station in the morning rush hour is seemingly so ground down by the London Underground 'experience' that charitable giving has become a very low priority. Even my decidedly unusual dress on a very warm late spring morning excited no comment. But with iPods full on it is difficult to make anything other than eye contact and conversation is quite impossible.

I had clearly chosen a particularly non-productive site and after an hour or two, although my bucket was heavy it contained a lot of twopenny pieces. Others, especially those on London Bridge itself did significantly better.

We were kindly given bacon sandwiches and other refreshment by the Fishmongers before going back to work. Later we were told we had raise some £3000. I fear my contribution was just over 2% of that. But I have made two firm resolutions: to smile warmly at other charity collectors with buckets in future and at least give something. So far both resolutions are holding up.

ST MICHAEL'S CORNHILL SERVICE TO COMMEMORATE THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUTHORISED VERSION: 5 MAY

2011-05-14T17:24:00.003+01:00

On Thursday there was a choral evensong service at St Michael's, Cornhill to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the publication of the Authorised Version of the Bible. Although this was not a Company sponsored service we had agreed to cover the cost of a reception at the Hall afterwards.

Rev Peter Mullen and the Director of Music Jonathan Rennert had put together a beautiful choral evensong service. In addition to the choir that does such an excellent job there was also a concert of viols.

Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, who is also a Liveryman of the Company, gave the address where amongst other issues he explored the huge success that Bishop Lancelot Andrewes and others who worked on the Authorised Version achieved in their synthesis of widely varying doctrinal positions into a single text. Furthermore it was a single text that not only resolved key doctrinal issues but also produced an outstanding work of literature.

I do not go to evensong very often these days and it was a particular treat not only to listen to a fully sung service accompanied by viols and the recently restored church organ but also to hear Lord Judge's stimulating address.

COURT OF WARDENS' PLATE COUNT AND OTHER ACTIVITIES: 5 MAY

2011-05-14T16:16:00.017+01:00

Members of the Company will be reassured that the Wardens successfully completed their count of the Company's plate on 5 May and found everything in order. Yet again we were impressed with the work that Tim Haydon does in keeping the silver in good order. Away from the Hall Tim is an ardent supporter of Leyton Orient Footballl Club and a very active memmber of the Supporters' Committee. For more details go to www.orientsupporters.webeden.co.uk/the-committee This is a calling that requires considerable optimism that, on occasion, is rewarded by great success. Tim says that at least working at the Hall he gets his hands on some silver.

This was the followed by the monthly Court of Wardens meeting. Following the Court of Wardens meeting it is traditional to admit individuals to the Freedom of the Company and advance Freemen to the Livery. On this occasion we were delighted to admit two new Freemen:

Araminta Wieloch, daughter of Freeman Peronelle Wieloch and Liveryman Colonel Wolf Rupert Weiloch.

Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Antelme DSO (see various posts about 1st Battalion Welsh Guards)

THIRD DRAPERS' CONCERT: 4 MAY

2011-05-14T15:33:00.001+01:00

The conclusion of 17th Concert Season and the 51st concert in the Hall was on Tuesday evening. It was a great end to the season and featured musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The programme, performed before a packed Livery Hall, began and ended with excellent performances by the Carter Wind Quartet - comprising Emily Heathcoate, clarinet, Holly Rearden, bassoon, Emma Whitney, horn, Mary Noden, oboe and Jessica Lowe, flute. Jason Anderson, a premising young composer was on piano. The Quartet started with a performance of Mozart and concluded with a most interesting composition by Poulenc.

The remainder of the programme was a number of pieces played by Grace Yeo on piano. These were Schubert Impromptu D935, Schumann Sonata No2 in G Minor Op 22, Ravel Ondine from Gaspard de la Nuit and concluded with three pieces by Liszt: Sonetto de Petraca 104, Concert etude Gnomenreigen and Concert Paraphrase on Verdi's Rigoletto. Grace gave very impressive performances that fully explored the emotional aspects of the compositions. She held the audience spell-bound.

Principal Barry Ife and Professor Joan Harvill of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama were present. They have been great supporters of the Company's concert programme in the past and their enthusiasm for for what we do is much appreciated.

In my summary at the end of the performances I gave particular thanks to Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt who started the programme off in 1995 and with careful planning and imaginative choices of programme has seen it go from strength to strength.

I further noted that Sir Nicholas, in his capacity of Director of the Concertante of London, was giving a baroque recital at the Banqueting House, Whitehall on Monday 4 July with a programme including Vivaldi, Bach, Handel concluding with a full performance of the latter composer's Ode to Queen Anne's Birthday (1713).

We now look forward to the 18th season next spring.

HRH DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER VISITS DRAPERS' ACADEMY: 4 MAY

2011-05-14T15:13:00.001+01:00

On Tuesday afternoon Drapers' Academy was visited by HRH Duchess of Gloucester for a short visit. However in the fifty minutes or so that she was at the Academy she managed to meet or at least be seen by almost every member of the school.

The visit started in the Dining Room where the Senior Management Team, Head Boy and Head Girl and other members of staff were served tea by Year 10 Domestic Science pupils from a beautifully laid out table. The Duchess was so impressed she asked for a 'doggy bag' to be made up so that she could take it away.

She then moved up to the Library. As she reached the first floor she was able to look out at the new building which is now rapidly taking shape. In the Library there was a science class in progress finding out about our Solar System.

Then it was back in to the Hall where a dance using motifs from the Mexican Dance of the Dead was performed: not at all as gruesome as it sounds and the skull masks were extraordinarily varied and suffused with nice touches of black humour. There was then a fashion show and further short performances.

It was then time for HRH to leave and she walked out to Settle Road along a path lined with Years 7 and 8 (11 to 13 year olds).

Throughout the sun had shone, everyone the Duchess spoke to was most clear and impressive and were all good ambassadors of the Academy. A lot of work had gone into the visit but it had gone off perfectly. Everyone at the Academy could look back on a day which marked another key milestone in the progress of the school.

If you want to see more pictures and comment go to http://www.drapersacademy.com/ there are some really good photographs; including the one below.

As HRH Duchess of Gloucester left the Academy Years 7 and 8 lined the path leading to Settle Road. For full portfolio go to http://www.drapersacademy.com/

WELSH GUARDS ON PARADE: 29 APRIL

2011-05-14T12:43:00.000+01:00

1st Battalion Welsh Guards on parade at Buckingham Palace after the Royal Wedding on Friday

The current Commanding Officer of the Welsh Guards, Lieutenant Charles Antelme DSO, sent us pictures of the guard his battalion mounted in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on the day of the Royal Wedding. It was yet another part of a perfectly organised day although Charles was modest enough to say that he experienced a degree of nerves.

The following week Charles became one of our newest Freeman being admitted after the Court of Wardens on 5 May.

The Company's links with the Welsh Guards are relatively new but as has been mentioned in earlier posts the linkage has already proved most beneficial.

Commanding officer, mounted on right and adjutant, mounted left, with the regimental sergeant major, dismounted further to the left.

ALMSHOUSE VISITATIONS: 28 APRIL

2011-05-14T12:26:00.003+01:00

On Thursday the Wardens carried out their annual visit to Walter's Close, Southwark in the morning and Edmanson's Close, Tottenham in the afternoon. The other almshouse visitation to Queen Elizabeth College had take place a week earlier (See post of 9 April).

Traditionally the visitations were the formal inspection of the almshouses but these days the Wardens receive quarterly reports as to what is going on and there is also a regular communication between the current almshouse managers. Hanover Housing, and the Company. As a consequence the visitations are now essentially social and ceremonial events.

The visit to Walter's Close is always the least informal of the three and takes the form of a a discussion with residents over coffee, tea and cakes around eleven o'clock. We were accompanied by Herry Lawford, who actually leads the FODAH team at Edmanson's Close - and came along on the afternoon visit as well - and Liveryman Rupert Phelps who is one of the FODAH visitors at Walter's Close.

Fola Adedosu, who runs Walter's, made us welcome and it was good to meet up with a good cross section of residents, both of long standing and new arrivals. Inevitably much of the conversation was about the Royal Wedding next day.

Just before the service at Edmanson's Close. Left to right: John Freestone, Beadle, William Charnley, Junior Warden, Anthony Walker, Master Warden, self, Christian Williams, Renter Warden and Alastair Ross, Clerk. Photograph with acknowledgements to Herry Lawford.

In the afternoon we went from the Hall to Bruce Grove. Changing in to our robes we attended a service conducted by the newly arrived Father Tony Haynes. I gave a short address describing how the three almshouse charities created by Edmanson, Pemel and Jolles had been united nearly 150 years ago and with a further endowment had moved on to the Bruce Grove site, largely because the expansion of the railway network in London led to a lot of compulsory purchasing of land in the inner city and a better site had become available in an area which at that time was right on the fringe of London. The success of the Edmanson's Close had been the collective work of many but a most important part had been the contribution of residents past and present to create a unique and thriving community.

Afterwards Lesley Flynn who runs Edmanson's Close and her helpers, including Mvia Wedderburn, had laid on a delicious tea. Again discussion turned to the Royal Wedding

Throughout the sun shone brightly and Lynda Lampshire at the Hall, who acts as the secretary to FODAH, organised the day very well.

TWO DRAPERS APPOINTED KNIGHTS OF THE GARTER

2011-05-03T23:22:00.000+01:00

The star of the Order of the Garter

I am delighted to report that the two appointments to be Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, always traditionally announced on St George's Day, are both liverymen of the Company.

Lord Phillips in the new Supreme Court robes. I note in this picture he is wearing his Drapers' livery tie.

Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers is President of the Supreme Court. Lord Boyce, a former Chief of Defence Staff and First Sea Lord, holds a number of distinguished appointments including Warden of the Cinque Ports. Lord Boyce will be joining the Court as Second Master Warden for the next Company year.

Admiral Lord Boyce

There are twenty four members of the order in addition to the Sovereign and Prince of Wales. There are also members of foreign royal familie who are supernumeray memberss. Both the Sovereign and Prince of Wales are Royal Freemen of the Company as is a supernumerary member of the order King Harald V of Norway.

Lord Bingham in his Garter robes

The only record we have of any other Draper, other than a member of the royal family, who was a Knight of the Garter is Lord Bingham of Cornhill (1933-2010) a former Lord Chief Justice.

COURT 'TEXTILES' DINNER: 20 APRIL

2011-05-03T23:20:00.000+01:00

In recent times a Court Dinner has been re-established for April and is the one where the Master can choose the theme. This year I thought it would be of interest to celebrate the Company's links with the textile world and invite a broad range of guests with from the fashion, manufacturing, academic and trade groups associated with the industry

Additionally when I met HRH Prince of Wales at his reception for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal (see post of 8 November) we briefly discussed his Campaign for Wool. In subsequent discussion he said that, although he could not attend the dinner, he would send a message of support. We were thus delighted that we could publicly associate ourselves with this initiative and that Mr John Thorley OBE the Chairman could attend. More details of the Campaign are at www.campaignforwool.org/index

It was also an opportunity for the four Drapers who work in the textiles industry to be involved. These are Freeman Barry Laden MBE who runs the Laden Showroom see www.laden.co.uk Liverymen Jane Mather who is following in the footsteps of her father, Liveryman Oliver Makower, in running Makower UK, a textile design and sales business, see www.makoweruk.com Liveryman Polly Meynell who is a noted textile designer see www.pollymeynell.com and Liveryman Nicky Santomauro who as managing director of Lavenham is reviving the fortunes of this top of the range quilted jacket maker, see www.lavenham.co.uk

We had a broad guest list including fashion designers and couturiers, UK based manufacturers, academics and members of various trade bodies including including both Texprint and the Educational Development Trust that we support in their promotion of young talent.

Overall it was a stimulating evening and a good opportunity to recognise our roots as a Company that derives its status and wealth from what at one time was England's greatest industry and where is still so much to celebrate.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR PAST MASTER TREVOR ELDRID 20 APRIL

2011-05-03T22:36:00.000+01:00

Past Master Trevor Eldrid (1916-2011) in 1977, the year he was Master

By tradition and if the family wish the Company hold a memorial service for past masters at St Michael's, Cornhill. On the morning of 20 April a service was conducted by Past Master Rev Peter Taylor in memory of Trevor Eldrid (see post in January).

There was a good turn out and Rev Peter Taylor conducted the service with considerable affection and full recognition of Trevor's great contribution to the Company. Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson played the newly restored organ built by Renatus Harris in 1684 and substantially modified since 1790. He was one of the patrons of the Appeal Committee and with others ensured this important organ has been restored to its former glory.

A lunch was subsequently held for those who attended, including Trevor's wife Pam, at the Hall afterwards.

CONSTRUCTORS' ROYAL CHARTER BANQUET: 14 APRIL

2011-04-19T22:06:00.000+01:00

Coat of arms of the Constructors' Company

Thursday evening it was off to Merchant Taylors' Hall to be a guest at the Constructors' Royal Charter Banquet. Receiving a first Royal Charter is a very important rite of passage for a livery company. It is only authorised by the Privy Council after exhaustive enquiries and can take some years to negotiate. Once authorised it acts as the constitution of the Company and, unless amended by the Privy Council, provides the framework for its subsequent existence and operation.

The Royal Charter had been received a year earlier. However it is custom and practice that the charter is handed over by a member of the royal family. This was the purpose of the evening and HRH Duke of Gloucester officiated.

The Duke was the ideal choice for the Constructors. It is a Company that covers all aspects of the building world - for more details go to www.constructorscompany.co.uk The Duke is a qualified architect and has a considerable interest in what is now called the built environment.

The Royal Charter was formally handed over at the beginning of dinner. The conclusion of the dinner witnessed four excellent speeches.

Court Assistant Victoria Russell managed to welcome all the guests, over thirty of them, in a most entertaining way. This I can say from both observation and personal experience takes some doing. She challenged me about my blog and wondered what would be post. Victoria, now you know!

Piers Gough CBE, the noted architect, gave a lyrical evocation of architecture and its impact on both individuals and society. Alderman Sir David Howard Bt responded on behalf of the City and finally Master Patricia Newton brought the proceedings to an excellent close.

Only the week before Patricia Newton had been admitted to the Drapers' Company by redemption so it was good to see one of the newest Drapers so much at the centre of affairs of another Company.

It was a memorable evening.

UPHOLDERS' ANNUAL INSTALLATION BANQUET: 13 APRIL

2011-04-19T20:26:00.003+01:00

Coat of Arms of the Upholders' Company

On Wednesday the Upholders held their Installation Court and Banquet at the Hall. The Hall, I believe, is a frequent choice by the Upholders for this key event in their Company year. This year they were kind enough to invite both myself and Alastair Ross, the Clerk, to be guests at the banquet..

Upholder is an archaic term for upholsterer and the Company has for centuries been closely involved with the furnishing trade. Initially of course maintaining the guild monopoly in London and later more generally supporting the trade both inside and outside the City. For more details go to http://www.upholder.co.uk/

Additionally the Upholders are part of the informal Liveries Wood Group that carries out joint projects with the Carpenters, Furniture Makers, Joiners and Ceilers and Turners. For more details go to http://www.branching-out.co.uk/

It was most stimulating talking to members of the Company in the Hall. Many of them are eminent and leading personalities in the furnishing industry. Their reaction to the furnishings and decoration of the Hall was very interesting and most informative. It was also flattering to be told on a number of occasions how well the Hall was maintained.

The newly elected Master, James Kelly, and the Wardens made us most welcome and we had a most enjoyable dinner. As I entered the Livery Hall I found a copy of Featherbedds and Flock Bedds, the Early History of the Worshipful Company of Upholders of the City of London by JF Houston at my place. I have only had time to glance at it but it is clearly a well written and informative history, featherbedding takes on a sterner meaning..

One of those evenings where I was well looked after and learnt a little more about the furnishings of the Hall. But equally importantly I was yet again as Master to hear the considerable admiration for the excellent service our Beadle, John Freestone, Head Chef, Gerald Quadros and the rest of the Hall catering team provide. On this particular night Jon Perkins, the Butler, led the event.

ALMSHOUSE RESIDENTS' TEA PARTY: 11 APRIL

2011-04-18T19:05:00.002+01:00

One certain indication that spring has arrived is the tea party that is put on at the Hall for the almshouse residents and staff. It takes place in the Livery Hall which is laid out in tables of twelve. The Master and Wardens act as hosts and other members of the Company attend including members of the Friends of Drapers' Almshouses (FODAH) team.

There is the ever popular piano playing by Philip Godfrey who plays medleys of tunes and any requests. For more details about Philip go to www.philipgodfrey.co.uk/ I regret that we have yet to hear any selections from his recent musical Casanova.

We had a good turn-out but it probably had a smidgen less glamour than last year when Royal Freeman HRH Duchess of Gloucester attended and really charmed the alshouse residents.

It was a glorious sunny day and the Philip's rendition of popular tunes from the forties and fifties added a distinct touch of jollity as the cream teas were served.

BREAKFAST MEETING AT QUEEN MARY: 8 APRIL

2011-04-18T18:52:00.001+01:00

I rather like this bird's eye view of the main campus. It shows the huge amount of development that has taken place on the site over the last twenty years. The original part of the site, shown as Queen's Building, is illustrated as the People's Palace at the foot of this blog.

Friday morning started with the now traditional, I think it has been going in some form or other for fifteen years, breakfast with Queen Mary, University of London. In recent years it has taken place at Queen Mary's main campus on the Mile End Road.

The Company's links with the College go right back to its foundations. In fact the core of the site is the original location of the Francis Bancroft school and almshouses founded in 1736. The almshouses have long gone but the school still flourishes a bit further up the Central Line in Woodford.

The Drapers' team included the Master and Wardens and the two members of the Queen Mary Council that are nominated by the Company. Liveryman Jocelin Harris is Vice-president of the Council and chairs the Finance and General Purposes Committee and Master Warden Anthony Walker is Chair of QMSU Services Ltd the trading business of the university. Jocelin's father, Past Master Martin Harris, was a much respected President of Council for many years.

Professor Simon Gaskell and three vice principals, Professors Susan Dilly, Philip Ogden and Morag Shiach hosted us on behalf of Queen Mary. Our links are even more intertwined these days as we are jointly sponsoring Drapers' Academy, Morag Shiach, Susan Dilly and myself are all governors.

We had a most useful review of issues of joint concern and then had an opportunity to visit the new history building - name has yet to be revealed - that now creates an impressive facade along the Mile End Road.

The original People's Palace. The Company donated a significant sum towards initial building costs of the technical wing of the Palace and contributed for many years towards the running costs of the institution.

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, SHOWCASE RECITAL: 7 APRIL

2011-04-18T16:34:00.002+01:00

On Thursday evening the Royal Northern College of Music put on a London Showcase concert with three of their star students performing Boccherini, Schubert, Ravel and Faure.

The location was 22 Mansfield Street a charming and interesting location at in Fitzrovia. The very large apartment is owned by Bob and Elisabeth Boas. Its substantial rooms are the perfect place to display a very interesting range of modern British artists such as Royal Academicians Ruskin Spear and Ken Howard as well as to provide a comfortable setting for a chamber concert.

Sophie Rosa, violin, and the brother and sister, Mikhail Nemtsov, cello, and Elena Nemtsova, piano, were clearly performers of a high standard and gave great performances.

Professor Jonty Stockdale Principal gave an informative overview of the College's activities and the inevitable need or funds to sustain the extraordinarily intensive training required to create top flight musicians.

The Company's links with music are, in the main, directed towards the London conservatoires but we are pleased to be linked with the College through the de Turckheim Vocal Scholarships scheme.

VISITATION TO QUEEN ELIZABETH COLLEGE, GREENWICH: 7 APRIL

2011-04-09T22:10:00.002+01:00

Quen Elizabeth College looking from the north. In the centre is the chapel and around it are the one bedroom cottages originally built in 1818 and subsequently extended some thirty five years ago. The trees, largely cherry, are always in bloom at Visitation time.

On Thursday the Master and Wardens conducted their first almshouse visitation to Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) in Greenwich. The Visitation is now an enirely ceremonial affair. But in the past it used to be the highpoint - or possibly high stress point for the staff - of the year when the efficiency and good management of the almshouse was thoroughly inspected by the Master and Wardens on behalf of their fellow trustees who then reported back their findings to the Court.

The Visitation of QEC also has a further feature. When the endowment was established by William Lambarde in 1576 he asked the Master of the Rolls, one of England's most senior judges, to be the Visitor. Lambarde had a particular friendship with Sir William Cordell who was Master of the Rolls at the time and 325 years later the tradition continues. This year Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury paid his second visit to the College.

The Visitation started with a short service in the chapel, that can seat about fifty. Rev Chris Moody, Vicar of St Alfege and also a member of the Company's Sir William Boreman Foundation that helps students in of the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham, officiated. Towards the end of the service the Master of the Rolls gave a short address and as he left the chapel he was, as is traditional, presented with a pair of white kid gloves. These are nowadays returned for use on following years.

We then moved on to the community centre where we met a large number of residents. I have been Chairman of the Friends of Drapers' Almhouses (FODAH) for some years now and it was good to meet up with residents I have known for some time and also to meet new faces. Also members of FODAH including Liverymen Felicity Conway and Jonathan Bush as well as Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt, who leads the QEC FODAH team, were present. Any member of the Company is also invited to attend and it was good to see a recently joined Freeman, James Baily, present.

All in all a lovely day, the sun shone, the blossom looked lovely and with the Visitation completed spring has definitely arrived.

Later this month we are visiting Walter's Close in Southwark and Edmanson's at Bruce Grove, Tottenham but before that on Monday 11 April it is the residents' tea party at the Hall. I shall post this next week.

DRAPERS AND THE ANGLO-SAXONS: DISPLAY CLOSES MARCH

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A bronze follis of Justinian II (527-565) minted at Constantinople (CON on the exergue of the reverse) in the twelfth year of his reign, i.e. 539/40. The letter M on the reverse was the way the Greeks to indicated forty: the follis comprised 40 nummi. This is a huge coin; 40mm across and weighing nearly 23 grammes, one of the largest ever struck for daily use. Justinian virtually recreated the Roman Mediterranean empire. But it had nothing like the stability of its predecessor and to balance conquests in Italy and Spain he had to pay huge tributes to the Persians and Balkan tribes to avoid war on a number of fronts. This coin would probably have bought a number of loaves of bread or couple of dozen eggs.

Having been on display since September 2010 the exhibition of books and coins linking Drapers with the Anglo-Saxons was closed after the Livery Dinner on 23 March.

I take the opportunity to illustrate two more coins from the display.

Most of those who saw the display were polite enough to express an interest in it. The most common comment was to express surprise at the level of organisation and order in a period commonly known as the Dark Ages.

A penny of Edgar (959-975) minted by Heriger, a moneyer known to have been based in York, around 970. Edgar is sometimes taken as the first King of England and he certainly had a successful and peaceful reign. However it could argued that his grandfather, Edward the Elder (899-924) and uncle, Athelstan (924-839) had better claims to this title. This coin comes from the Tetney hoard found in a potato field in Lincolnshire in 1947. It comprised some 300 coins of the Northeastern type (i.e. minted in York, Lincoln, Stamford) of Edgar and his half brother Eadwig who briefly reigned from 955-959.

DRAPERS' ACADEMY NEW-BUILD, THE BIG CRANE ARRIVES

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The crane is huge though dwarfed by the new Academy site. The buildings themselves will cover an area of about threequarters of a hectare (let's call it an acre and a half!) In the foreground the foundation slab of the new building can be seen. This picture was taken in mid-March.

This is such a good picture that I have copied it from the Drapers' Academy website. It is of the huge crane that is now erected on site and will start to put the framework of the new buildings together like a Meccano set.

Kier are now making very rapid progress and the good weather is certainly helping them keep up to schedule. I am sure there will be a lot of interesting developments over the next few weeks. Also I must put on record that I am most impressed with the way that Kier are managing the site in a way that is almost completely unobtrusive to its neighbours.

For more information on the new-build and Drapers' Academy go to the website http://www.drapersacademy.com/

FIFTH WARDEN DISAPPEARS FROM MANSION HOUSE

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Another view of the now vanished 'Fifth Warden'

Regular readers of this blog will recall that in December (see post of 8 December) we donated a bear to the Lord Mayor's Bear Necessities Appeal to take up residence in the Mansion House, along with bears from all the other livery companies. At the time we decided to dress him as a warden of the Drapers' Company and Penny Fussell our archivist made a most fetching miniature version of our livery robes.

We were therefore most upset to be recently informed by the Lord Mayor's secretary that our bear has disappeared. We have no idea as to how this could have happened and if any reader of this blog knows of, or has any theories as to, the whereabouts of this artificially furry little creature I would be pleased to know.

Meanwhile a replacement has been made by the Lord Mayor's staff although the new bear is without special robes.

I hope I can eventually report the safe return of our original 'Fifth Warden.'

71 (CITY OF LONDON) SIGNALS YEOMANRY REGIMENT RETITLING DINNER: 28 MARCH

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Regimental badge of 71 Signals Yeomanry Regiment

Regular readers of the blog will know that we have a close affiliation with 71 (City of London) Signals Yeomanry Regiment. Recently the regiment has been re-titled to include a City of London designator. In discussion with the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Allen, we decided to make the Hall available for a dinner to commemorate this auspicious change of title.

The regiment invited a wide range of supporters including the mayors of the boroughs and deputy lieutenants where the regiment has drill halls as well as those who support the Territorial army on a city wide basis such as Sir David Brewer the Lord Lieutenant of London. In addition there were a large number of senior military personalities present to mark this event including General Officer Commanding London District, Major General William Cubitt CBE.

It was therefore quite an occasion. It was also good to see that all ranks of the regiment had been invited to be present. Many members of the regiment now have considerable operational experience which in turn brings a high level of self-confidence.

It was one of Lieutenant Colonel Tim Allen's last events with the regiment in command as he handed over a few days later to move on to an assignment at the Joint Force Headquarters at Northwood. He gave an excellent speech that commemorated the purpose of the evening most fittingly. I think I can say that for Colonel Tim it was an excellent end to what has been a most successful tour and one where the links between the regiment and the Company have been further reinforced.

UNITED GUILDS' SERVICE ST PAULS: 1 APRIL

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The nave of St Pauls looking towards the altar.

Following on from the Mansion House Dinner of the previous night the livery companies came together for the 69th Service of the United Guilds of the City of London.

As always there was a great turnout and the cathedral was packed. The Masters and Wardens in their multicoloured robes and regalia of office, the scarlet robes of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, the ecclesiastical vestments of the clergy and a large number of other uniformed officials complemented the rich decoration of the nave. The wives of masters sat in rows between the pews and the altar in a splendid variety of hats.

There was a good turn out of Drapers. So many in fact that the pew allocated to the Company could not hold all those who wanted to come and some members of the Company ended up in seats at the back of the cathedral.

The Very Reverend John Hall, Dean of Westminster, gave the sermon. Part of it included a consideration of John Donne. This was the second time in as many weeks, see an earlier post on my visit to Hertford College, Oxford, where this most interesting man had been remembered. The final stage of his extraordinary life was spent as Dean of St Pauls. He died in post on 1 April 1631 so the service was on the anniversary of his death 280 years ago.

We then went back to the Hall for lunch where we entertained Gavin Ralston, one of the lay canons, and Andrew Carwood, the cathedral's director of music.

It was also good to see Dr Bill Frankland present. He is our oldest liveryman having passed his ninety-ninth birthday last month. He is still working as a doctor and has led the most eventful life including being a Japanese prisoner of war and treating Saddam Hussein, but he is professionally reticent on the latter subject. He is a role model for anyone a few decades younger who may be suffering from a temporary lack of vitality.

MANSION HOUSE DINNER FOR THE MASTERS, PRIMEWARDENS AND UPPER BAILIFF OF THE LIVERY COMPANIES OF THE CITY OF LONDON: 31 MARCH

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The Mansion House, London. It is located short walk away from the Hall on the other side of the Bank of England.

This and the next post give details of two events in the City year that bring the whole livery movement of London together.

On Thursday evening Rosemary and I, accompanied by Alastair Ross and his wife, Judy, were invited to the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress to dinner. As the title of this post indicates all one hundred and eight livery companies were invited to dine in the Egyptian Hall with members of the civic City.

It was a great evening and the Lord Mayor and Mrs Barbara Bear made us all most welcome. It was one of those evenings where I was, yet again, grateful that the Drapers' Company is third in order of precedence. Speeches are made by the Master Mercer and Master Grocer, who rank first and second respectively, and it was clearly inappropriate that a third master should speak.

Next morning all the livery companies were in St Pauls for the United Guilds' Service.

LIVERY DINNER: 23 MARCH

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The Company hosts two major livery dinners a year. The first in the Spring is the one where traditionally our links with the City are celebrated. In recent years we have also taken the opportunity to invite the military units to which we are affiliated.

The second livery dinner in July (see some of my earliest posts) is when the newly appointed Master and senior Wardens take over and the election of the Junior Warden is made public.

The Livery Dinner is an opportunity for all liverymen to dine at the Hall and for the more senior members of the Livery to bring guests. Additionally there are a number of Company guests

The Dinner on 23 March was a sell-out and over half the livery were present. We were delighted to welcome Sheriff Richard Sermon MBE as a guest. Unfortunately the Lord Mayor and the Aldermanic Sheriff were out of the country in South East Asia carrying out their vital job of selling the City across the world.

Alderman Sir David Lewis responded on behalf of the guests. He is Alderman for the Ward of Broad Street in which the hall stands. In fact Drapers' freeholds count for some 25% of the ward's area. Alderman Sir David neatly meshed with our Welsh Guards link as he is the eighth Welsh Lord Mayor (2007/8) in the City of London's history. His Welsh roots also links with our work undertaken in North Wales through the Thomas Howell’s Education Fund for North Wales.

Howell was a most successful Welshman who virtually controlled the Anglo-Spanish trade in the early fifteenth century and subsequently endowed a great charity that survives to this day. He also kept meticulous records of his commercial activities, these survive in our archives. Accontants may be interested to know that he used an early form of double-entry book-keeping which is the earliest use of this accounting method known in England.

Sir David gave an impassioned plea to protect our armed services from the effects of overzealous reductions while so many are on active service and where the world situation is so uncertain.

I concluded my speech with a short message to the Livery:

'Many of you have made a significant contribution to the work of the Company over recent years. By every measure our collective efforts have been most successful; be it significantly improving our investment position, overseeing the wide range of Company business and our broader charitable activity. In the latter field more specifically education and almshouses. All-in-all there is a great sense of vitality in the Company and this vitality is maintaining our great traditions. But a number of initiatives we have, such as the new Drapers' Academy, will be asking even more of the livery. You have much to give and your huge experience and success in life make you potentially superb mentors to influence, for the better, the lives of others or to contribute your skills and professionalism towards Company projects.

We are living in times where I think we can all see the demand for our charitable activity will only increase. I hesitate to mention the overworked phrase 'The Big Society', it seems to mean everything and nothing, but if it at its heart it's about wanting to give something to others we've been doing this for centuries. One thing I am certain we will be doing it for many more centuries to come.'

The programme of the evening included a musical evening featuring some great baroque music by Handel and Bach on trumpet, strings and harpsichord. Finally the evening saw a major change with new style chocolates prepared by Paul A Young, one of London's leading edge choclatiers, see http://www.paulayoung.co.uk/ for further details. They seem to have been well received.

MATTHEW SLATER, PRINCIPAL DRAPERS' ACADEMY STARTS BLOG

2011-04-03T15:31:00.001+01:00

Matthew Slater, Principal Drapers' Academy

At the last Drapers' Academy Governors meeting on 29 March Matthew Slater, Principal of the Academy, announced that he had started a blog. This blog either appears as Principal Slater or Views from the Hill and can be accessed through the Drapers' Academy website. Go to www.drapersacademy.com

Incidentally the Drapers' Academy website - which is linked to this blog - is developing very well and worth a look if you have a moment

DRAPERS' GARDEN: SPRING HAS ARRIVED

2011-04-03T10:27:00.002+01:00

There is a garden to the north of the Hall laid out in formal style. One indication that spring has arrived is that two magnolia trees in the garden bloom profusely. The relative warmth of central London means that they flower early and by late March are a magnificent sight and bring a great splash of colour into the heart of the City.

Looking south towards the Hall. Throgmorton Avenue runs behind the wall to the right.

Again looking north. The new Drapers' Gardens office building is the box of glass just visible behind the magnolias to the left. The Austin Friars building complex, also part of the Company's estate, are ahead and on the right. The Drapers' Gardens name for the office block is a reminder that the gardens in the foreground are the remains of a substantial open space. This was used for recreation and market gardening and existed up to a hundred and thirty years ago before the pressure to develop the site and build offices became too great to resist.

TOBACCO PIPE MAKERS AND TOBACCO BLENDERS COURT LUNCHEON: 22 MARCH

2011-04-03T09:54:00.004+01:00

Coat of arms of the Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders Company

The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders held their Election Court Lunch in the Hall on 22 March. They were kind enough to invite me. As I have mentioned in past blogs it is always a pleasure to be a guest in one's own Hall and the luncheon with the Tobacco Pipe Makers was no exception.

The Tobacco Pipe Makers made me most welcome and quite a number of the Court members has links with the trade. One retired pipemaker ruefully remarked that demand for pipes in England had declined but that demand was holding up in eastern Europe.

The Master, Julian Keevil, and his American wife, Mary, were charming hosts. Both gave amusing speeches and Mary was particularly interesting in that she spoke about her family links with the City. She comes from an old Virginian family that had trans-Atlantic links with both civic London and the Haberdashers particularly in the eighteenth century.

Julian and Mary now principally live in Virginia on a site where Mary's ancestors lived - Julian is using a lot of saved airmiles commuting regularly to London on Company business. I think it entirely appropriate that the Master Tobacco Pipe Maker and Tobacco Blender has close roots with Virginia.

For more information about the Company go to http://www.tobaccolivery.org/ On this site you will also find an excellent blog written by the Master. This has been going for some time and was started by one of his predecessors.

The company very kindly gave me box containing two replica Elizabethan clay pipes

A DRAPERS WALKING STICK

2011-04-03T09:37:00.000+01:00

The ram's head

Past Master Stephen Foakes is a talented woodworker and craftsman generally. Recently, to commemorate my tenure as Master, he gave me a very handsome walking stick. It is a most imaginative gift and is just the right size.

Thank you Stephen.

HERTFORD COLLEGE JONNN DONNE DINNER: 18 MARCH

2011-03-31T10:38:00.025+01:00

One of Oxford's archetypal views, the Bridge of Sighs that links the college buildings together.

On Friday Willian Charnley, the Junior Warden, and I were guests of Hertford College for their John Donne Dinner. Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt who is also an Honorary Fellow of the college was also present. The dinner commemorates John Donne, the poet and much else, who was a student at Hart Hall, a predecessor of Hertford College between the ages of 11 and 14.

John Donne seemingly depicted in one of his less metaphysical and rather more sensuous moods.

The dinner was preceded by a talk in the chapel on John Donne's The Good-Morrow. We were taken through an explanation that was entirely in keeping with the metaphysical nature of the poem and the poet. Also in the spirit of early seventeenth century enquiry and curiosity we were exposed to a huge number of references and influences contained in the poem.

Our minds having been given a thorough refreshment we went on to an excellent dinner. It was amongst other things part of the farewell for Dr John Landers who is standing down as Principal. He was one of our guests at the Education Dinner the previous evening. In my talk I noted his departure with regret as he has helped sustain our links with the college most effectively.

Our links with Hertford go back over a century and date from the time when Past Master The Reverend Henry Boyd was Principal. This was a post he held for forty five years from 1877 to 1922. Today we support a Drapers' Company Research Fellow at the college, although currently because of an early departure of the last incumbent to study elsewhere, the post is vacant.

John Donne led a quite extraordinary life. He managed to spend a significant amount of money on good living, travelled widely, went to prison and generally pursued a most precarious life. He was a member of parliament and despite being a Catholic held various positions in the Church of England, eventually rising to be Dean of St Pauls. In addition, of course, he produced some of the most interesting and memorable poetry and prose in the English language.

EDUCATION DINNER: 17 MARCH

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The March Court Dinner is traditionally one that commemorates the Company's education links. These, as regular readers of this blog will know, are very wide ranging. They involve some twenty five organisations and range from Oxford and Cambridge colleges to an infant school, the Thomas Russell Infant School at Barton-under-Needwood in Staffordshire. A consequence is that the guest list is very eclectic including chairs of governors, heads, Drapers' governors, Drapers' scholars and fellows as well as head boys and head girls of our various schools.

A record number of one hundred and twenty five attended. This increase was partially due to the fact that Drapers' Academy is now established. Incidentally Matthew Slater, the Principal, and others were made most welcome.

One pleasant coincidence is that Professor Michael Moriarty, the husband of Professor Morag Schiach, a vice-principal at Queen Mary and also vice chair of Drapers' Academy, has recently been appointed to the Drapers' Chair of French at Cambridge University.

Our principal guest was Lord Adonis. When he was leading the academy programme in the last government he gave considerable support to the Company in the early stages in the development of Drapers' Academy. Andrew is a man of considerable interests and energy. After providing a huge energy in setting keeping the momentum going with the academy movement he then went on to spend a very innovative time in the Department for Transport, latterly as secretary of state, where he was particularly active in promoting the growth of railways including publishing proposals for increased electrification and the building of a high speed railway north of London, known as High Speed 2.

As I mentioned in my speech a minister who can claim one sucessful initiative that has bought real bebnefit is unusual but to achieve success in two fields, in this case education and transport, is exceptional. Andrew Adonis gave a great speech combining his hallmarks of a lightness of touch and a passionate commitment to improving education.

YOUNG OLYMPIANS AT THE HALL: 11 MARCH

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Lady Victoria Leatham, this year's Second Master Warden, has a great interest in the Olympic movement following on from her father, the Marquess of Exeter. He won the 400 metre hurdles gold medal at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928. He was later President of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was also the inspiration for the character played by Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire although the film plays fast and loose with dates and facts

Victoria proposed that the Great XII companies should financially help the excellent work of the Ron Pickering Foundation that supports our young athletic hopefuls by providing much needed financial support for training and equipment. For more details go to http://www.rpmf.org.uk/ This year the Foundation is very much focused in supporting those who have a chance to qualify for the Olympics next year

The fund raising amongst the Great XII has gone well. To celebrate the progress made members of the Ron Pickering Foundation and some of the young athletes they support were invited for a buffet lunch at the hall. Also invited were those who were likely to be masters and prime wardens of Great XII companies when the Olympics are held next year.

The young athletes were a most impressively modest and dedicated group. To say that preparation for the Olympics is gruelling is an understatement and when there is also the pressure of school and college work the pressure is very great indeed. It is clearly a rigorous and mentally demanding process and requires a huge sacrifice from those involved. This is made even tougher as the selection will not be made until June next year so some who are working really hard today might not get through.

The best image I can find of the medal struck for the IXth Olympiad at Amsterdam. This one is not in very good condition and the background does not help much. Lord Burghley's was in beautiful condition.

Victoria gave a most inspiring talk where she recalled her father's success in 1928 despite a relative lack of interest by his family and hoped that we were doing better. She had also brought her father's gold medal, the first time it had left Burghley House, since he returned from Amsterdam.

Tom Macnab, a member of the Foundation and a well-known coach, gave an interesting insight into the dedication needed to succeed.

It was also good to see Jean Pickering MBE, who, before she married Ron, was a member of the women's 4x100 metre relay team that won a bronze medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 was present.

It was really heartwarming to meet a most dedicated cross section of our Olympic hopefuls and we wish them every success for next year and can take pride that Victoria's initiative has played a part in helping them succeed.

HALL CONCERTS 2011: SECOND CONCERT 8 MARCH

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On 8 March it was the turn of the Royal Academy of Music to provide the musicians for our second concert in the 2011 series. Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt had organised a most interesting programme with the Academy.

This included two harp pieces, Claude Debussy's Danse sacree et Danse profane and Maurice Ravel's Introduction and allegro. Nicholas reminded the audience that these two pieces had been commissioned by major harp makers in the first decade of the last century to display the versatility of this instrument to best effect. Akiko Awaki played the Debussy and Elen Hydref the Ravel. Both performances brought out both the opulence and the slight sadness of the pieces in most interesting ways.

One can possibly read too much of the fin de siecle element into Debussy and Ravel's music at this time, especially when played on a harp and other string instruments. We know in hindsight that within a few years the life of Europe had brutally changed and it was never the same again. Be that as it mwy, what we did hear was two most poignant and limpid performances.

A nice piece of symmetry was the Livery Hall decor dates from the period of the music and somehow the marble, gilt and general decoration of the room matched the harp and supporting instruments.

In complete contrast Reinis Zarins took us through Liszt's Nuage Gris and Etude No 8 in C Minor, Chopin's Ballade No 4 in F minor, WildeJagd and Ravel's Miroirs: Alborada del gracioso. A friend of mine once remarked that Liszt piano pieces where 'there to be played.' The same applies to Chopin and Ravel. Reinis did not disappoint and gave a great series of performances combining energy with panache.

Finally Reinis and the Tyburn String Quartet gave a beautifully realised performance of Brahms Piano quintet in F minor, Op 34.

Yet another great evening where a group of young and hugely talented musicians performed to a sell-out and very appreciative audience.

The final concert is on Wednesday 4 May and will feature musicians from the Guildhall School of Music.

DR PETER SCOTT JOINS LIVERY SCHOOLS LINK

2011-03-10T23:23:00.000Z

Dr Peter Scott

Livery Schools Link is a voluntary organisation that aims to promote support for schools in the Greater London area by Livery Companies of the City of London, helping to prepare young people for the world of work. For more details go to www.liveryschoolslink.co.uk/

I am pleased that Liveryman Dr Peter Scott has agreed to be the Drapers' representative with this organisation. Peter was the very successful Headmaster of Bancroft's School between 1996 and 2006, covering much of the time when I was Chairman of Governors at the school. He has a huge wealth of experience and since retiring from Bancrofts he has been involved in a number of educational initiatives. I am certain that he will be able to make a substantial contribution to the work of the Livery Schools Link.

RT REV NIGEL STOCK TO HOUSE OF LORDS: 8 MARCH

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The Rt Rev Nigel Stock. With acknowledgements to the Ipswich Evening Star.

Each year the Master asks a clergyman to be the Company Chaplain for his year. The duties are varied. They include saying grace at dinners, giving a sermon at the Company service at St Michael's, Cornhill in the summer and providing general spiritual guidance.

This year I asked the Rt Rev Nigel Stock, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, to fulfil this role. I think chaplain is a rather inappropriate title for a senior member of the Church of England to assume so we are probably happier looking upon him as our spiritual adviser for the year.

I have got to know Bishop Nigel as he is married to Carolyne, a cousin of Rosemary's. Also another consideration was that, being based in Ipswich, he could get to the Hall reasonably easily.

This week he joined the House of Lords as one of the lords spiritual. Of the forty-four diocesan bishops in England twenty six have seats in the House of Lords. Five are always held by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester. The remaining twenty-one are the most senior of the remaining thirty-seven. This month it was Bishop Nigel's turn to take his place.

I think this is a Company first but what is certain is that Bishop Nigel has proved a popular choice as our chaplain/spiritual adviser.

INCORPORATION OF WEAVERS, FULLERS AND SHEARMEN OF EXETER DINNER: 4 MARCH

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On Friday Alastair Ross and myself travelled to Exeter for a dinner held by the Incorporation of Weavers, Fullers and Shearmen of Exeter. This dinner in March is always by tradition one the Master Draper and Master Clothworker are invited to attend. This year we were also joined by Simon Hyslop, High Master of the Clothiers' Company of Worcester.

The Exeter guild for the past 540 years has occupied the beautiful Tuckers Hall in Fore Street, Exeter. The Hall is small and the the membership of the Incorporation's Court is limited to 27 as this is about the maximum that can dine at any one time. For more details go to http://www.tuckershall.org.uk/

We saw the preparatory work that is now being undertaken to develop the Hall to ensure that it remains at the heart of Exeter life. We are delighted as a Company to have made a small contribution to this project.

The beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling of Tuckers Hall, now well over half a millennium old.

The company led by Master Graham Murrin entertained us exceptionally with an outstanding menu prepared by the noted local chef Michael Caines (see http://www.michaelcaines.com/ for more details).

We much value our links with the Incorporation and it was good to reinforce them and be so generously looked after.

LORINERS' CHARTER CELEBRATION AT ST PAULS: 2 MARCH

2011-03-10T23:06:00.000Z

The Loriners' Company's spirited coat of arms.

The Loriners almost certainly held the livery function of the year on Wednesday. Two highly important anniversaries were celebrated in a way that included almost all of the other masters of livery companies in a celebration of evensong at St Pauls.

This year the Loriners celebrate two significant anniversaries. These are the 750th anniversary of the first grant of Ordinances to the Worshipful Company in 1261 and the 300th anniversary of the granting by Queen Anne of the Company's Royal Charter in 1711.

The service was beautifully done and the sermon by the Rt Hon and Rt Rev Dr Richard Chartres, Bishop London, he is also a liveryman of the Company, was equally memorable. Starting with a review of other notable events of 1261 that included the restoration of the Byzantine Empire under the Palaeologi and the 'founding' of Macclesfield - in fact it was the grant of the first charter. He then went on to view the Loriners' trade, that involves the making and selling of bits, bridles, spurs, stirrups, saddle trees and the minor metal items of a horse’s harness, as a metaphor of the need for human self control enjoined by St Thomas Aquinas. Finally he wished the Loriners would 'bit and bridle' flourish for ever.

This was followed by an enjoyable party at Stationers' Hall. Overall a most impressive evening. It said in the notes attached to the service sheet that in the nineteenth century the Company had a great reputation in the City for its sociability. This tradition is certainly being sustained in the twenty-first.

For those who find all the various components of horse's tack a bit of a mystery I include a diagram to get you started but it self-evidently does not include some of the more obscure elements. If you want to find out more go to www.loriner.co.uk

THE KING'S SPEECH OSCAR TRIUMPH

2011-02-28T10:57:00.001Z

Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Great news from the Oscars that The King's Speech has scooped four categories.

Although there is no Oscar for best location the part that Drapers' Hall played in the film has certainly been widely noticed. In particular, the scene where George VI gives his accession speech in the Livery Hall and his attempts to speak before the Privy Council are spliced with shots of the various royal portraits on the walls including a stern Queen Victoria makes for memorable cinema.

The King's Speech is clearly destined for a most sucessful 2011 and I am sure that the part the Hall played in creating some of the film's most evocative scenes will be of continuing interest.

71 (CITY OF LONDON) YEOMANRY SIGNALS REGIMENT OFFICERS' CLUB DINNER: 21 FEBRUARY

2011-02-27T20:24:00.004Z

This dinner, Alastair Ross and I all got a mention in the Daily Telegraph Service Dinners bit of the paper's Court and Social page. It thus clearly deserves a mention in my blog. For those to whom the Daily Telegraph of 22 February is not immediately to hand I can inform that it announced that on Monday 21 February I attended the 29th Annual Officers' Club Dinner of 71 (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment at the Cavalry and Guards Club, Piccadilly.

I have only tangentially mentioned this unit in my blog. So, to start from the beginning. It is one of our four military affiliations. The other three being the HMS Monmouth, Welsh Guards and RAF Shawbury.

The naming and role of Territorial Army units is not a subject for the faint-hearted to tackle and units with a yeomanry tradition have particularly complex stories. I will simplify and in so doing I hope I do not cause any unintended offence. The yeomanry has roots stretching back to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars when individuals who possessed horses volunteered to form cavalry regiments for local defence. Initially this was against the threat of a French invasion. Many yeomanry units trace their origins back to that time. However existence was not neccessarily continuous. The nineteenth century was usually a story of disbandments and sudden resuscitations, normally in response to the, surprisingly, frequent French invasion scares that occurred throughout the period.

In Haldane's reforms around 1910 the yeomanry was incorporated into the Territorial Army as reserve cavalry. However the decision in 1935 to mechanise the Army and dispense with horses meant another series of major changes occurred. Many yeomanry regiments were redesignated as Royal Signals units and had distinguished service in the Second World War in this role.

Since the 1950s it has, unfortunately, been a story of continuous reduction. Today, 71 (City of London) Yeomanry Signals Regiment combines the heritage and traditions of six former regiments in three squadrons:

265 Kent and County of London Yeomanry Sharpshooters Support Squadron (Volunteers) located Bexleyheath.
47 Middlesex Yeomanry Signal Squadron (Volunteers) located Uxbridge and Southfields.
68 Inns of Court and City & Essex Yeomanry Signal Squadron (Volunteers) located City of London, Whipps Cross and Chelmsford

The regiment has a home defence communications role.

The Company is involved with the regiment in two events next month. A visit by all ranks to the Hall on 4 March for lunch and a look round and a major event on 28 March to launch the regiment formally with its City of London title. More news of these in due course.

Back to the dinner. Brigadier Charles le Gallais, the regiment's honorary colonel, presided and Lieutenant Colonel Tim Allen, commanding officer, responded with an interesting overview of the regiment's current wide range of activity. In common with all volunteer units these days it stretched from the local drill halls all the way to Afghanistan by way of a lot of places in between.

Although I am a member of the Cavalry and Guards Club I do not visit too often these days as it is currently a bit too far west for me. But I was pleased to note that, as always, they put on a good dinner.

More news about the Drapers' relationship with the regiment over the next few weeks.

THE VARDON NELSON FUNERAL SCROLL: QUERIES AND CLARIFICATIONS

2011-02-27T19:53:00.007Z

My post on the Vardon scroll depicting Nelson's Funeral procession to St Paul's in 1806 (see post of 25 January) has generated quite a lot of interest and some further reflection as to what it exactly might be. The website Nelson and His World - http://www.nelsonandhisworld.co.uk/ - picked up the debate very quickly.

There was some reluctance in the Nelson and His World discussion thread to accept that a ten year could have been sufficiently competent to do the work. I have no doubt that John Vardon was. I have a passing interest in English drawings and watercolours of this period and the execution of the scroll is well within the competence of as ten year old at the time. Training was much more focused, high standards were expected and, quite frankly, a world with fewer distractions meant that work was done much more thoroughly.

Also doubt was cast about the genuineness of the lump of fossilised soup that the Vardons stated to have been preserved from a batch prepared on HMS Victory on 21 October 1805. As it has now completely disappeared, I think the odds are long that it has survived at Buckingham Palace or some other royal palace, we will never know with certainty. All I was doing as a blogger was to report a family tradition. It is one I find quite credible. There was an immediately reverential interest in anything connected with the Battle of Trafalgar as soon as it was clear what a great victory had been achieved linked to the poignant fact that Nelson had been killed in the hour of his greatest triumph. Preserving a lump of soup in such circumstances seems quite understandable. What is of greater interest is quite it lasted so long without modern methods of preservation such as freezing or rapid dehydration.

The Toy Lord Nelson Funeral Panorama. Thin paper sheet 12x7.5 inches. Published 25 January 1805 priced at one shiiling and sixpence. The sheet would have been cut up and the procession glued together as a roll. It would then be drawn across the scene on the bottom left to animate it. Sold for £920. With acknowledgements to the 1805 Club.

The remaining area of debate has been the influences on, and possible purpose of, the scroll. Penny Fussell, our archivist, has I think found the complete answer. The Kedge Anchor, the newsletter of the 1805 Club has a useful section reviewing sales of naval memorabilia. In the March/April 2010 edition - number 27 - there is the record of a toy Lord Nelson Funeral Panorama sold on eBay by a seller in Bristol. It is almost certainly the inspiration of Paul Vardon's home-made copy.

I can remember playing with similar paper cut-outs drawn across a small cardboard box proscenium stage. They were often processions of circus animals. There was also a variation where cut outs were passed in front of a light source to create a shadow show.

Incidentally the 1805 Club was founded in 1990 to care for the memorials of the Georgian sailing navy. For more details go to http://www.1805club.org/

LONDON FASHION WEEK: ANTONIO BERARDI SHOWS AT HALL 20 FEBRUARY

2011-02-27T15:33:00.002Z

Antonio Berardi dress on the catwalk at the Hall. With acknowledgements to Elle.

Lunchtime on Sunday saw Antonio Berardi stage his London Fashion Week event at Drapers' Hall. Unfortunately I was not one of the 350 invited guests who got a seat along with others who crammed into the Hall.

Antonio Berardi is of Sicilian parentage born in UK. He went to the St Martin's School of Art and Design. Today he is one of the few influential fashion designers who runs his own company.

Emma Sells of Elle gave an excellent summary of the event. 'Every season Berardi seems to introduce us to some hidden gem off the beaten track in London. This time it was the incredibly opulent Drapers’ Hall, resplendent with painted ceilings, ancient portraits and the grandest chandeliers. The luxury surroundings suited the glamorous aesthetic that is the Berardi signature. The handful of beautifully cut coats, all draped fronts and curved seams, that his die-hard fans will surely not be seen out of come next winter. The long wool cape with perfectly tailored shoulders. The pleated and folded wool skater skirts and the metallic trouser suit. And, of course, there were the dresses.' For more details go to www.elleuk.com and search for Emma Sells' review of the show along with a video.

I am certain this is the first time the Hall has been used for such an event and from reading the press coverage, not only jn Elle but also Vogue, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard and Guardian, the location caught the imagination and was universally considered a superb setting for Berardi's designs.

DRAPERS' CITY FOYER, WEAVERS' FIELDS BETHNAL GREEN: VISIT 17 FEBRUARY

2011-02-21T12:30:00.006Z

Drapers' City Foyer is a converted former London School Board building. It is typical of a large number of distinctive schools built across Inner London in the late nineteenth century under the guidance of Edward Robson, the Boards's chief architect.

On Wednesday 17 February Sir Nicholas Jackson, Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, Anthony Walker and myself paid a visit to Drapers' City Foyer.

In the late nineties the Company teamed up with Providence Row a major housing and homelessness charity in East London, especially in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, to refurbish a former London School Board building to create a foyer of forty-one units. Because of the Company's contribution to the initial construction costs it is called Drapers' City Foyer. Today the foyer is run by East Potential, an economic and social regeneration charity, on behalf of Providence Row. For more details go to http://www.prha.net and http://www.east-potential.org.uk/ and go to Drapers' City Foyer

Drapers' City Foyer is designed to provide temporary accommodation for young people who are homeless and in need of support. The pressing need is to provide shelter and food but equally importantly a foyer can access a whole range of support and advice to give an individual the opportunity to improve their life chances and help them overcome personal problems.

The Foyer is doing well. Last year it successfully supported twenty-eight individuals find new opportunities and who have now left the Foyer. East Potential want to do more. They have some interesting ideas such as making more use of the ground floor spaces to provide training opportunities for non-residents. Also Providence Row has agreed that Flavour Gateway, an innovative catering training and commercial operation, can establish a training cafe, the Cafe Relax, in the building.

Cafe Relax is in a really unusual space, the decor is stunning - I shall try and get some photographs - and there's a great menu that is really good value. It will be opening shortly, go along for a meal. For more details go to: http://www.flavourgateway.com/

MASTERS' CHARITY: HAROLD HILL INITIATIVES: PART ONE GETTING STARTED

2011-02-21T12:08:00.003Z

Each year, as all the Drapers reading this blog will know, the Master selects a charity he wishes the Company to support. The charity acquires four benefits from this: a significant cash grant from the Company of £10,000, charitable donations by members of the Company - members of the Company are notably generous and a very considerable sum is given, a fund-raising event in the Hall at cost and, of course, further publicity for the charity.

This year I have selected a charity that is not yet a charity. It is called Harold Hill Initiatives. As it name makes clear it is focused on getting a number of projects started on Harold Hill. This is where the Drapers' Academy opened in September 2010 (see a considerable number of earlier posts) is located.

Harold Hill is a former London County Council overspill estate built some sixty years ago. The estate is attractively laid out and much of it has matured well. However it is remote - right on the edge of the green belt - and employment prospects are not good. Many on the estate are now into a second generation of being dependent on welfare. This is reflected by the fact that the two wards on the 'Hill' are the poorest in London Borough of Havering and well inside the bottom 10% nationally. With state-spending cutbacks this is about to become a bigger issue.

Interestingly, although there are a large number of charities working in the inner city -see for instance the next post on the Drapers' City Foyer at Bethnal Green - there are virtually none active on the outer rim of London.

However a very active local group on the 'Hill' including Rev Russell Moul, the parish priest of St Paul's, are in the process of setting up a local charitable enterprise provisionally called the Diamond Trust. Quite by chance Liveryman David Monro is providing legal on advice on this. This charity will be established within the next six months. Meanwhile Harold Hill Initiatives can get the work started.

The big advantage of a local charity is that its reaction time can be very quick and can best understand local priorities. Also volunteer support means that cost overheads are negligible. We have a number of ideas that can get going immediately. These include the establishment of a 'Listening Post' where people with problems can receive confidential support and advice and a micro-loan operation to provide finance to get young adults started in setting up their own businesses.

The charitable side of Harold Hill Initiatives will be overseen by Andy Mellows, our Head of Charities, and Stephen Beeson, Director of Finance at Drapers' Academy, will also help out.

More reports follow.

BRITISH WATERCOLOURS EXHIBITION 2011: ROSEMARY SELECTED TO EXHIBIT

2011-02-15T12:15:00.003Z

Nothing to do with the Drapers Company but Rosemary has had a picture selected for the forthcoming British Watercolours exhibition that is being held by the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours at the Mall Galleries (it is on from 30 March to 10 April). For more details go to http://www.royalinstituteofpaintersinwatercolours.org.uk/

Magnolia by Rosemary Farrer. Watercolour 30cm square. This and otherv images also on www.rosemaryfarrer.com

I think it is one of Rosemary's most interesting still life paintings where she has combined botanical painting with an almost abstract sens of image. She has also linked the translucence of watercolour with a denseness of colour normally associated with oils.

We are going to the private view on 29 March. I shall be on tenterhooks to see whether she has won a prize.

HALL CONCERT SERIES 2011: 9 FEBRUARY

2011-02-15T11:58:00.006Z

The last three blogs have dealt with musical matters and it is most appropriate to end the series with a report on a concert at the Hall.

For some years Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt has organised three spring concerts at the Hall. The intention is to provide an opportunity for the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, on occasion the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, to showcase their talent at the Hall. Many of the performers also hold Drapers' Music scholarships. These include the five bursaries awarded annually by the Baroness de Turckheim scheme to outstanding British vocal students at each of the four London conservatoires and the Royal Northern College of Music.

On 9 February the Royal College of Music provided the musicians and a singer. They were a most impressive line up.

Ilya Movchan on violin gave a totally committed performance of Brahms Violin sonata no 1 in G major and the very challenging Ravel violin sonata, also in G major. He played with such energy it kept us clinging on by our metaphorical fingertips. Yulia Vorontsova gave a most intelligent rendering of Debussy's Suite Bergamesque which was followed by a committed and passionate performance of Liszt's Venezia and Napoli.

Martha Jones, one of this year's de Turckheim Scholars and a most impressive young Motzartian, was a most convincing Cherubino. She gave a sparkling performance of Voi che sapete from act two of the Marriage of Figaro and was beautifully supported on the piano by Belinda Jones.

After the performance Martha told me a great anecdote about a recent outdoor, lakeside performance of Cosi fan tutte in France where she was singing the part of Dorabella. In that poignant part of the First Act where Dorabella and Fiordiligi say farewell to their lovers Ferrando and Guglielmo, who are supposedly setting of for military service overseas, they sing with their tormentor, Don Alfonso, Soave sia vento - 'May the wind be gentle.'

In this performance Ferrando and Gugliemo's departure was for real and they stepped into a boat moored in the lake and set sail. In the middle of this touching little scene Ferrando fell out of the boat into the lake in the full view of all. She said keeping a straight face while the audience collapsed laughing while a very splashy rescue operation got underway was an immense challenge. Luckily Ferrando and Guglielmo spend the next chunk of the opera disguised as Albanians but when they had to change back for the final scene Ferrando rather squelched around the stage in his sodden costume with his companions trying hard not to corpse.

We were delighted that Professor Colin Lawson, Principal, and Vanessa Latarche, Head of Keyboard Studies, were present to watch the most impressive performances of their students.

The next concert at the Hall is on 8 March. If you are a member of the Company and haven't booked why not come along? It will be a great evening.

BANCROFT'S SCHOOL CONCERT AT THE HALL 7 FEBRUARY

2011-02-10T14:52:00.004Z

Every year in February Bancroft's School stages a concert at the Hall. It takes place in the Livery Hall, now known to millions as the room used in The King's Speech where Colin Firth, in the guise of George VI, makes his accession speech under the stern gaze of portraits of previous British kings and queens. In fact the Bancroft's performers are on a stage just in front of a rather severe portrait of Queen Victoria flanked by William IV, looking somewhat uncomfortable in a court dress comprising a decidedly odd padded hose and ermine cloak, and Edward VII, in complete contrast, looking totally confident.

As always the Music Department at the School, Roger Bluff, Enid Weaver and Debbie Mittell, put together a programme that lets a wide variety of individuals and ensembles every opportunity to give of their best. The result was some very professional performances across a wide range of musical genres.

These ranged from the Bancroft Swingers getting the evening off to a good start with a really crisp performance of The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. This was followed by the Middle School Choir with some charming modern and traditional arrangements, Ben Yelverton giving an impressive piano solo of a Dohnanyi piece, not my favourite composer but a real challenge to play, and then elements of the Bancroft's Swingers reappeared as a saxophone quartet. The evening continued with the Bancroft's Singers and a vocal solo by Rebecca Slattery. Finally everyone seemed to come back on a very crowded stage as the First Orchestra to give an excellent and lively interpretation of Franz von Suppe's Overture to his Light Cavalry.

It was all very professional. But what was equally important was that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. Performing in front of such a large audience, including one's parents and probably some hyper-critical sibling, is quite a test. If there were nerves or anxiety they did not show.

An uplifting start to the week.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA: 3 FEBRUARY

2011-02-10T14:51:00.008Z

The current home of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican

The Company has close links to the music conservatoires in London, principally through a number of scholarship awards including the de Turkheim scholars. This year the Board of Governors of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama held a dinner at the Hall and very kindly asked me to attend.

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is very much a City institution supported directly by the City of London. It is currently located at the other end of London Wall from the Hall in the Barbican. More details are at http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/

It was a most distinguished event with many Fellows of the Guildhall School of Music present. I was particularly delighted to be sitting close by Dame Emma Kirkby. I used to be a volunteer supporting the London Handel Festival at St George's Hanover Square in the mid eighties and can remember Emma giving some memorable performances.

When the world was young. George Martin and the Beatles share a cup of tea at Abbey Road Studios probably around 1966.

Speakers included another Fellow, Sir George Martin, who as he said had 'by chance met up with four lads from Liverpool' and this had had some influence on his career. But it is clear that he has an extraordinary ability to mentor and interpret a very wide of artists and musical genres. He briefly mentioned Bernard Cribbens, Beyond the Fringe, Charlie Drake, Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren as well as many others. But most importantly he said that it been his attendance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, after a few rootless years where he had been in the services and tried a number of other things, that really nurtured and developed his talent.

Tom Hoffman,Common Councillor, who is the Chairman of the Board of Governors, was generous in his thanks to the Company and also reflected on the great success of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY CLUB DINNER: 4 FEBRUARY

2011-02-10T14:51:00.007Z

A general view of Artillery Fields, Finsbury Place the home of the HAC

The Honorable Artillery Company (HAC) is one of the City and the Army's great institutions. Located just North of the Hall at Finsbury Place it was traditionally the City's volunteer force. It was incorporated into the Territorial Army (TA) some hundred years ago and, despite constant changes in role, still flourishes. As well as being an effective military unit it provides an essential and the flourishing link between the Army and the wider City community that has sadly eroded elsewhere in many towns and cities across the country as the TA has been successively reduced in size. For more details go to http://www.hac.org.uk/

The Company of Pikemen and Musketeers (Musketeers on the flanks and Pikemen in the centre) on parade at Artillery Fields.

My links with the HAC go back over forty years. My brother, David, joined at the same time as Past Master Stephen Foakes in 1970. Both are still serving in the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, a revival from the trained band period of the HAC's history. The Company is frequently seen on City ceremonial occasions in their seventeenth century uniforms using what now appears to be the theatrical drill movements of the same period.

The January HAC Club Dinner is designed to reinforce the links between the City and the HAC. Many members of the HAC, both serving and veterans, are members of various City liveries and are encouraged to invite their Masters and Clerks. The Dinner was held in the handsome panelled dining room at Artillery Fields. It still looks just the same as it did when I went to my first mess-night there over forty years ago but I think the food has got a bit better. I went as guest of Past Master Stephen Foakes who looked resplendent in the scarlet tunic and lace of Sergeant of Pikemen.

Major General Simon Lalor, in his capacity of the President of the HAC Club, made us most welcome and my host had been asked to make the speech of welcome to the guests which he did most skilfully fitting together a string of individuals most elegantly. The principal speaker was General Sir Nicholas Parker the current Commander in Chief Land Forces who made a wide ranging and challenging speech on the issues facing the Army.

Being back at the HAC brought back many memories and it is good to see how the unit has continued to adapt and flourish so successfully.

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL SCHOOL CHORISTERS: 1 FEBRUARY

2011-02-10T14:19:00.006Z

St Paul's choristers with their Director of Music. One of the boys said during a question and answer session that he found the ruffs a little uncomfortable.

St Paul's Cathedral School is the school nearest to the Hall. It is an independent co-educational school for children 4-13 and is situated in New Change close by the cathedral. It is also the choir school for the cathedral and there are 34 choristers who board in a house near the school. We have traditionally supported one of them. For more details go to http://www.spcs.london.sch.uk/

On Tuesday there was a recital in the choir of the cathedral at six in the evening. The atmosphere of St Pauls on a winter evening is a sublime amalgam of grandeur and peace; a great building anchored on its hill with only faintest hum of the City intruding.

The recital not only included some moving and delightful pieces of choral church music but also interviews with various choristers describing their life at the School.

This was followed by a reception in the Crypt around Nelson's tomb. A post of 25 January noted that Nelson's funeral took place at St Paul's on January 9th, 1806. I did not realise that in a curious piece of re-cycling, and I suppose desire for economy, he was interred beneath the black sarcophagus originally made for Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century. The crypt is a very British place where memorials and tombs to British heroes, generally military, are jumbled up with those of the lesser known.

Afterwards I was invited out to supper by the Master Girdler, Lord Strathalmond and his clerk, Ian Rees. Ian is an old friend from my days in the Army. They both looked after me very well..

A pitfall I managed to avoid was one that occurred to a most distinguished Master Draper a decade ago. As he entered the Choir at St Pauls the Draper chorister, whom he had interviewed prior to entry a few months previously, gave him an enormous wink of welcome quite expecting one in return.

DIONNE BROMFIELD AND DIGGY SIMMONS RECORD 'YEAH RIGHT' VIDEO AT HALL

2011-02-04T11:28:00.006Z

Dionne and Diggy in the Drawing Room

Followers of this blog will doubtless be excited to know that fifteen year old pop sensation Dionne Bromfield has recorded the video of her new song Yeah Right at the Hall with teen rapster Diggy Simmons. You may have come across Diggy in the MTV reality show Run House where he co-stars with his dad, veteran hip hop pioneer, 'Rev Run' Simmons. Dionne has shot to fame as a protege of Amy Winehouse, who is her godmother.

I am not skillful enough to make a video link but there is a slightly breathless video of Dionne and Diggy making the Yeah Right video in the Hall. Go to www.soulculture.co.uk/blogs/music-blog/musicvids/dionne-bromfield-ft-diggy-simmons and follow links to the 'behind the scenes' video. Charmingly Dionne says the Hall would be the sort of place she would like to live.

Drapers will, I am sure, watch the progress of this new release with interest.

DRAPERS' ACADEMY: KING'S WOOD NORTH BLOCK IS DEMOLISHED: 1 FEBRUARY

2011-02-04T10:56:00.002Z

Looking south-east from Settle Road, King's Wood North Block is virtually gone. Work on the foundations of the new Drapers' Academy buildings starts shortly

Past Master James Devereux, the Drapers' Academy governor leading on the newbuild, sent me a view of the North Building site taken while he was visiting the school on Tuesday.

A demolition site may not be the picture with the greatest amount of interest to the casual reader of this blog. But to those who have been following the story of the Academy new-build from the time that Michael Gove called in the project for review in July last year, only weeks before contract sign-off - now called Gove Tuesday in the academy movement, this view of a cleared site marks the end of the beginning.

The Great Crested Newt

Work will now start on creating the foundations and structure of the new buildings. There will also be a huge earth moving project to landscape the site to create better playing fields and ground source heat pump system to give the Academy a large measure of energy self-sufficiency. With the latter works we have to look after our Great Crested Newts and make sure they come to no harm. A colony of this increasingly rare species lives on the edge of the playing fields. In the words of the law it is an offence to, 'Intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place used for shelter or protection by a Great Crested Newt.' To avoid this will require some very complicated earth moving activity. But compared with other problems we have faced I am sure this is manageable.

Just over four terms, and under seventeen months, before the new buildings are open.

LORD LIEUTENANT OF GREATER LONDON'S DINNER 31 JANUARY

2011-02-04T10:45:00.011Z

Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, in his capacity as Vice Lord Lieutenant presenting a log service award to Ian Cooper of the London Fire Brigade in November 2009.

Monday marked the end of an era when Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, a Past Master of the Company, was dined out by his fellow lieutenants as Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London. He was Deputy Lieutenant of Kensington and Chelsea between 1987 and 2006 and has held the important post of Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London since 2005.

For those who come across this blog, and might be a little vague on the subject, the Lord Lieutenant is the monarch's local representative. These days the duties are essentially ceremonial and representative. It is an honorary appointment and in broad terms there is a lord lieutenant for each county. To help him or her the lord lieutenant appoints deputies. The arrangements in Greater London are slightly different from other areas in that in addition to the vice lord lieutenant there are deputy lieutenants assigned to each of the 32 London boroughs as well as some sixty supernumary ones.

The jobs are busy ones with the deputy lieutenants having a full timetable of representational activities. The Vice Lord Lieutenant sits in the middle of this web of activity with an important role in ensuring everything goes smoothly.

A number of other Drapers also involved in this side of Michael's activities were also present. These included Past Master Stephen Foakes and Lords Biliamoria and Boyce who are liverymen.

It was evident from the dinner that Michael is held in very high esteem for his unerring ability to make things work, with the hallmarks of great charm and courtesy, so that the London lieutenancy runs smoothly. Sir David Brewer, a former Lord Mayor, is the current Lord Lieutenant. In his speech he paid a warm tribute to Michael's great civic contribution that clearly not only elicited a strong response with his fellow deputy lieutenants but also from representatives of the wide range of other organisations, such as Royal Hospital Chelsea, where he plays, or has played, an essential role in their success.

It was entirely appropriate that Michael's departure from the lieutenancy could take place in 'his' Hall. And it was just right that his departure warmly celebrated his great contribution to the life of London.

PATTENMAKERS' MANSION HOUSE DINNER: 27 JANUARY

2011-02-04T10:09:00.004Z

Coat of Arms of the Pattenmakers

A past Master of the Pattenmakers, Tim Watts, is an old friend of some four decades' standing. He very kindly invited me to the Company's Mansion House livery dinner on Thursday 27 January.

The patten, a now completely disappeared form of footwear in England thanks to cleaner and better drained streets - although I have seen similar in India and South East Asia. The pattens were slipped over normal shoes. They must have required quite a skill to wear and one can imagine a degree of tottering, especially after a good livery dinner. I now know where these pattens come from: see afternote below.

The Pattenmakers bear the title of an extinct trade. The patten, a wooden platform slipped over shoes for walking on the streets, ceased to be an item of footwear by the late nineteenth century. Apparently the last working pattenmaker in London hung up his clogs, so to speak, by 1900.

Today the company supports the footwear trade through education and support of young managers and also sponsors orthopaedic activity. For more details go to www.pattenmakers.co.uk/

Theresa May MP

Photographed at Conservative Party Conference. Theresa May's signature leopard print shoes interestingly juxtaposed with Ken Clarke's scuffed Hush Puppies

But back to the Mansion House. It was a great evening much enlivened by some excellent speakers. The guest of honour was the Home Secretary, Theresa May. There were some nice symmetries about her speaking. The first is that in the current Cabinet she is the one almost certainly most focused on footwear, she made reference to her well known interest in designer shoes. The second is that her husband, Philip May, is a Liveryman of the Company. The last piece of the pattern is that one of the Wardens, John Timpson - Chairman of Timpson shoe repair chain, who has extremely sensible ideas about good management and leadership that appear in the Daily Telegraph and on the company's website http://www.timpson.co.uk/ , has a son Edward He is MP for Crewe and Nantwich and is also Theresa May's parliamentary private secretary.

The Master, Stuart Lamb and Warden John Timpson also spoke giving a good account of the Company and the guests of the evening respectively.

An interesting and stimulating evening and yet another indication of the diversity of the Livery movement.

AFTERNOTE

The illustration of the pattens worried me a bit as they do not look modern. I now know they are one of the many enigmatic objects scattered round the fringes of Van Eyck's Arnolfini Wedding. Quite what they mean is anyone's guess. What is certain is that they would, in real life, not have got so far in to the house. As a consequence art historians can have a field day postulating any sort of meaning.

Van Eyck's Arnolfini Wedding the pattens illustrated further up the blog are at the bottom left of the picture.

PAST MASTER TREVOR ELDRID (1916-2011) IN MEMORIAM

2011-01-27T10:45:00.012Z

Past Master Trevor Eldrid died after a lengthy illness on 7 January. Trevor was admitted to the Company by patrimony in 1938, he was the last surviving member of Court who joined the Company before the Second World War. Master in 1976/1977, the Silver Jubilee Year of HM Queen Elizabeth, he hosted her visit to the Hall that year.

Born in Cricklewood on 7 September 1916. It was a momentous time when the First World War was reaching its peak of destruction. A month in which the Somme offensive was grimly being pressed on by Field Marshal Haig and the Battle of Verdun was reaching its climax with a French counter-attack imminent.

He was educated at Haberdasher Aske's School then located nearby - it did not move to Elstree until 1961. He then went on to spend his professional life at the Prudential. During the war he served in Egypt and ended up countering Axis propaganda by broadcasting to the British forces.

After the war and back at the Pru he met Pam. She was a New Zealander working in London. Their first meeting was at the Prudential's Amateur Dramatic Society which seems to have been a major focus of Prudential social activity at the time.

The Eldrids have been members of the Company since 1818 and Trevor was the fifth generation. The first four generations are all recorded on Boyd's List of Drapers as saddlers' ironmongers. Trevor broke away from that calling by going to work in the City, doubtless because the world of the saddlers' ironmonger was declining rapidly because of the motor vehicle.

He was elected to the Court as Junior Warden in 1967 and was finally Renter Warden in 1982. He also played a leading part in the Drapers' relationship with the City and Guilds of London Art School and was a governor of Howell's School, Denbigh in the days when the Drapers were still trustees. He gave much of his free time to the Company and was a great supporter of a wide range of our activities.

He is survived by Pam and his daughter, Freeman Josephine Eldrid, by his first wife Nathalie (nee Walker - she is the aunt of Master Warden Tony Walker - and formerly the Duchess of St Albans).

The funeral was held on 25 January at Walton on Thames. It was attended by a good number of friends as well as Past Masters Bob Borradaile, John Stitt, Master Warden Tony Walker and Assistant Robert Strick.

We plan to hold a memorial service at St Michael's Cornhilll on 20 April to commemorate Trevor's work for and contribution to the Company.

AUDIENCE WITH KING OF NORWAY 21 JANUARY

2011-01-26T22:36:00.006Z

Royal Freeman HM King Harald V of Norway

Although making claims in the world of the London livery companies is a dangerous enterprise I think we are currently the only Company that has two reigning monarchs as freemen: HM the Queen and HM King Harald V of Norway.

King Harald is the third generation of his family to be free of the Company. His grandfather, Prince Carl of Denmark, was admitted to the Company in 1896 when he married Princess Maud, the youngest daughter of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. Prince Carl went on to become Haakon VII, the first king of the modern Kingdom of Norway when it peacefully separated from Sweden in 1905. His son Olaf was, in his turn, free of the Company and his son, now Harald V, was admitted in November 1960.

Six degrees below and the Royal Palace, Oslo is surrounded by a light dusting of snow. Unlike royal palaces in Britain you can walk right up to the front door.

This resulted in a party of four, Master Warden Tony Walker, Renter Warden Christian Williams, our Clerk, Alastair Ross, and myself having an audience with the king on Friday 21 January at the Royal Palace in Oslo to present a humble address marking the fiftieth anniversary of his admission.

The Humble Address illuminated on vellum commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of King Harald V of Norway being free of the Company. This work was beautifully and most skillfully carried out by Timothy Noad.

The humble address on vellum contained the following wording agreed by the Court:

'The Master, Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Worshipful Company of Drapers of the City of London send fraternal greetings to His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and offer the Company's warmest congratulations on his fiftieth anniversary as a Freeman of the Company.

The Company is deeply proud of its continuous association with the Royal Family of Norway since 1896 when His Majesty's Grandfather His Majesty King Haakon VII (As His Royal Highness Prince Carl of Denmark) became a Freeman of the Company and we trust and hope this long association may long continue.

It is our fervent wish that we will have the opportunity of welcoming His Majesty back to Drapers' Hall before too long.'

In the Bird Room of the Palace which is the ante-room to the King's Study and entirely painted with styilised mountain scenes abounding with bird life. From left to right Christian Williams, Tony Walker, myself and Alastair Ross. Not the best shot, I think we are all giving the king's ADC instructions how to use the camera. But it is the only one he took.

We had a most enjoyable audience and discussed a wide number of topics and I shall be able to report back to the Court that our links remain strong with the Royal House of Norway.

King Haakon is in a select group of Drapers' Royal Freemen who were not in direct line of succession when they joined the Company, although they subsequently became monarchs. There are two others. William of Orange was admitted to the Company in 1676 while Stadtholder of the Netherlands. It was a clear indication of the Company supporting a wider City view at the time of their preference for a Protestant, rather than a Catholic, succession. Finally, King George VI was admitted to the Company when Duke of York in 1919.

PRESENTATION OF THE VARDON MEMORIAL OF LORD NELSON'S STATE FUNERAL

2011-01-25T15:07:00.008Z

Johanna Vardon presenting the John Vardon scroll of Nelson's State Funeral Procession to the Company in the Drawing Room. Herbert Draper's increasingly well known painting, Gates of Dawn, painted to symbolise the beginning of the twentieth century in the background.

Following the Court of Wardens, and the admission of Edward Chalk - see previous post, there was a short ceremony to thank Freeman Johanna Vardon MBE for her generous and interesting gift to the Company of a scroll painted by her forebear John Vardon (1796-1869) depicting Admiral Nelson's state funeral.

Sir William Beechey's portrait of Nelson in the Court Room. This is one of a number that Beechey painted of Nelson at the time. It is particularly interesting as it shows Nelson in an admiral's uniform late in his career. The Court paid Beechey 200 guineas for the portrait in 1805.

Nelson is one of the very few individuals who have been made members of the Company honoris causa. This was after the Battle of the Nile 1798 and there is a letter in the archives accepting the offer of freedom. He describes it as a great honour and promises that he will make it, 'The study of my life to preserve their (the Drapers' Company) good opinion.'

Not a particularly good picture but one that gives a reasonable impression of the work. Nelson's funeral carriage drawn by six black horses is the large black square on the bottom row on the left. Also it shows, as was indeed the case, very few sailors in the procession. For some reason the Army provided most of the escorts.

Assuming the scroll was painted shortly after Nelson's funeral in 1806 John would have been 9 or 10. It is a charming procession of carriages, military figures and other participants. It was probably not painted from life but inspired or copied from one of the many depictions of the funeral procession that appeared at the time. But our records show that John lived in Gracechurch Street, London at the time so he might have observed the procession that made its way from the Admiralty in Whitehall to St Paul's Cathedral on 9 January 1806.

The Vardons are a family long associated with the Company. It was John Vardon's father, another John, who began the association with the Company in the late eighteenth century. Johanna noted the two Vardon Court Assistants whose shields are displayed in the decoration of the Court Dining Room when it was remodelled in 1869. Past Master Sir Peter Bottomley MP and Liveryman Philip Beddows, both Johanna's nephews, also attended. At present there are twelve members of the Company with Vardon links.

Johanna is well known in the equestrian world for having founded the National Foaling Bank. Since she started in 1965 her drive and enthusiasm has united thousands of orphan foals with foster mares who have lost their own foal. Additionally every year hundreds of owners also call the Bank for help and advice on difficult foaling cases, twenty-four hour nursing, and information about colestrum, milk replacements, and special dietary requirements. For more details go to www.nationalfoalingbank.com/

On handing over the scroll Johanna recalled that it had been stuffed into a tin in the kitchen for many years and it was a matter of good fortune that it had survived with only minimal damage.

One final anecdote is that amongst other Nelson memorabilia owned by the Vardons was a lump of fossilised soup that had originally been served on HMS Victory on the day of the battle of Trafalgar. Johanna said she had surreptitiously tasted a flake of it when a child and said that it was still remarkably chewy but rather salty.

Eventually in 1947 the Vardon family decided to break up the lump with the major chunk being presented to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip as a wedding gift. Some years later an enquiry to the Palace about the fate of the soup was, perhaps surprisingly, met with a response from the Private Secretary to the Duke of Edinburgh that it could not be found.

Afternote: For further comment on Paul Vardon's painting abilities, the fossilised soup and the almost certain inspiration and purpose of the scroll see a further post of 27 February.

THREE GENERATIONS: EDWARD CHALK ADMITTED TO FREEDOM 20 JANUARY

2011-01-25T14:36:00.002Z

One of my more pleasurable duties as Master is to play a part in the ceremonies when new members are admitted to the Company or promoted to the Livery.

My first admission this year was to admit Edward Chalk to the Freedom. His father, David, and grandfather, Philip, are both Drapers. Also both are members of the Court. Past Master Philip Chalk is an emeritus member and David Chalk is an Assistant.

Edward was admitted by patrimony. That is to say he is eligible to join the Company because was born when his father was a member of the Company. One purpose of the ceremony is to establish whether patrimonial rules have been met. This usually relies on the testimony of the father and one other witness; in this case Edward's grandfather.

After the ceremony we moved on to a further event in the Drawing Room: see next post.

JOHN THORNTON: A DRAPERS' MAPMAKER

2011-01-18T23:29:00.004Z

John Thornton's early map of North America at a time when Britain and France were staking out their claims on the north east corner of the continent and the various Briish settlements and colonies that are now the states of the United States or the provinces of Canada were beginning to emerge. I like the way that Thornton has patriotically written Nova Britania (sic) over New France in much larger letters. On the western side of the map the description of the west side of Hudson's Bay as New South Wales and New North Wales has luckily not survived into modern times otherwise significant confusion would have been caused. With acknowledgement to Lawrence of Crewkerne sale catalogue of 17 January 1ot 551 (see http://www.lawrences.co.uk/ )

Lawrence of Crewkerne on Monday 17 January sold a most interesting map of North America for the stonking sum of £203,150. This against a pre-sale estimate of £80,000. It is hand coloured on vellum depicting an area south from the Hudson Straight and includes James Bay, Greenland, Labrador Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New England and New York. It was made by John Thornton at the Signe of the Platt in the Minories and is dated 1699.

This map is a reminder of an interesting episode in the seventeenth century when a group of London's leading cartographers sought the protection of the Drapers' Company. They are an important part of our early cartographic history and are today known as the Thames School of Chartmakers.

John Thornton (1641-1708) hydrographer plattmaker (i.e. chart) engraver and publisher was apprenticed to John Burston of the Drapers' Company from 1656 and made a freeman in 1664/5. Other members of the Company include their leader Nicholas Comberford - flourished 1612-20. He was preceded by John Daniel who seems to have started the whole thing by becoming a freemen in 1590. He died in 1649. Thornton's pupil, freeman Joel Gascoyne, produced a series of well known maps of English counties.

Thornton was appointed hydrographer to both the Hudson's Bay and East India Companies. Printed maps of North America by Thornton appear in the Atlas Maritimus of c. 1685 and vol 4 of The English Pilot 1689 and later editions though none are identical to this map. The latter was a very important work as it was a set of accurate charts of the whole world that revolutionised the availability of nautical information for seafarers.

A number of Drapers, including Liveryman Lord Patten of Wincanton, brought this interesting map to Penny Fussell's, our archivist, attention. We do not hold any examples of work by the Draper's mapmakers - except for some of Joel Gascoyne's county maps - but we decided that, entirely on grounds of cost, this was not for our archives. If some of the less rare material appears, for instance maps of the East Indies are more commonly encountered on the market, I think it would be worth acquiring as a memorial of an important part played by our Company in an area completely unrelated to drapery.

FAREWELL MASTER MARKETOR

2011-01-18T23:04:00.006Z

Past Master Venetia Howes at the Guildhall with the Marketor's royal charter handed over to the Company at a memorable dinner.

Tonight I have had to amend my welcome notes on the right hand side of this blog. This is because Venetia Howes, the Master Marketor for 2010, has handed over her responsibilities.

When I started this blog I thought that I was establishing a first but it turned out that the Master Marketor was six months ahead of me. Like many I have followed her blog with interest. This most particularly so because it could be thought that all masters' blogs would be alike as two peas. In fact I think we have provided comment, even when posting about the same events, that brings out the very different personalities of both the master and the company he or she leads for the year.

Venetia has clearly had a good year, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the Royal Charter ceremony presided over by HRH Duke of Edinburgh at the Guildhall on 19 October (see my post of 24 October). As she says she now looks forward to achieving the 'honourable estate' of past master.

I am pleased that Master Jim Surguy, the new Master Marketor, will be continuing the blog.

GLOBAL MANUFACTURING FESTIVAL: SHEFFIELD, LONDON LAUNCH 18 JANUARY

2011-01-18T22:43:00.003Z

Coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of the Cutlers of Hallamshire

The morning of Tuesday 18 January was the London launch of the Global Manufacturing Festival: Sheffield (for more information go to http://www.globalmanufacturingfestival.com/ ) at the Engineering Employers Federation offices near Westminster.

The Festival aims to reaffirm the UK's position as a global leader in advanced engineering and manufacturing innovation. It will be hosted in the Sheffield region and specifically link the region's world famous expertise in high-precision engineering, metals and alloys production to its capacity to play a leading role in these areas across the world.

Where is the connection with a London-based livery company such as the Drapers? The link is principally because a sister livery company the Company of Cutlers of Hallamshire, led by their current Master, Professor William Spiers, is playing a leading role in ensuring a dynamic and effective programme of events and activities. For more about the Company go to http://www.cutlers-hallamshire.org.uk/

We value our links with the Cutlers of Hallamshire and the Drapers strongly support science and mathematics based activity, principally in the area of education, that is the bedrock in giving the right skills to people who can deliver innovation and success - see my post on our support of the Textile Textiles Awards of 24 November.

The London launch attracted a number of leading speakers in support. These included Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise. He gave a most supportive talk and got the pulse of Sheffield just right by saying that 'Sheffield and quality go hand in hand.'

A great start with a livery company playing a major part in a key industrial initiative. Fine words and meetings do not in themselves solve problems and stimulate success but they can play a big part in creating the right conditions for these to be achieved.