Three Cathedrals and a Memorial (Pun intended!)
Well, actually two Cathedrals and a very old and distinguished Priory Church! But more of that later. In any event, quite an eight days! Forgive me this lengthier blog about this eventful time!
The Civic City has just gone through one of its periods of substantial ceremony. It started with the Lord Mayor’s Dinner for the Masters.
At this the Lord Mayor pays tribute to the Livery, and sets out a theme for the Livery. Alderman Fiona Woolf urged Companies to do more to promote diversity, and also to make our communities more aware of the good that the Companies do. This included doing more to make potential beneficiaries aware of the assistance Livery Companies can provide and the Livery’s record in doing so.
I take the message on board! There is more we can do in our own Company, for example, and not least, telling more to members about the benefits generated by our Charitable Fund’s grants.
The First Cathedral
The day after the Lord Mayor’s Dinner, the Livery then attended St Paul’s for its United Guilds Service. This is a new tradition in the Livery, started in WWII, a mere 70 years or so! The establishment of the United Guilds Service in February 1943 was as a joint response to the challenges faced by the City of London following the Blitz. In addition to its solemnity, this is one of the very few occasions when it is possible to see the City and whole Livery in all its finery.
On the Steps of St Paul’s
The next occasion is the election of the Sheriffs at Common Hall on 24 June, at which Liverymen should vote for Sheriffs and other posts, and our Company then lunches together. Having been before I thoroughly recommend it! Book your ticket through the Clerk!
A Red Letter Day - HRH The Prince of Wales and The Quasi Cathedral!
The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers was presented with its Royal Charter by the Prince of Wales. The Clerk and I were invited to join in the ceremony, which took place within a Church Service of the Company. Whilst the ceremony was of great significance and interest, I was also very pleased that it was taking place at a church I have a fondness for a time from when I lived relatively close to it.
The Church of St Bartholomew the Great is one of the City’s most little known treasures. The church of an adjacent Priory, it was founded with the Augustinian priory in 1123. The church possesses the most significant Norman interior in London. It is set in an area the Huguenots made their district and traces of that tradition are still evident.
The mixture of ancient and modern, and the association of the Sovereign and the heir to the throne, encapsulated the Livery.
The Third Cathedral and The Memorial
And so to Southwark Cathedral where I attended the Memorial Service arranged by the Vintners’ Company for the Immediate Past Master. His family would have been moved and gratified to see the Cathedral overflowing with friends and others connected to him and his Company. It showed the strong social bond in the Livery Company, and a great Fellowship that felt timeless.
Should you wish to see the speeches of the Lord Mayor, visit http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/what-we-do/media-centre/speeches/Pages/fiona-woolf-speeches.aspx .
I finish with a quotation she used, from Charlotte Brontë’s Villette. She wrote “I have seen the West End, but I love the City far better. ………. In the West End you may be amused; but in the City you are deeply excited.”
Edward
19/4/14