19. Election of the Lord Mayor, 29th September 2017.

The day started at 8am in the Private Members’ Dining Room at the Guildhall with a glass of bubbly and an excellent full breakfast all provided by The Cook and the Butler. My thanks go to Mark Grove for the kind invitation.

Following breakfast it was time to proceed to the Guildhall Crypt to don my Gown and Regalia. I then joined the procession of all 110 Livery Masters across the courtyard, in reverse order of precedence, to the church of St. Lawrence Jewry for the Divine Service prior to the election of the Lord Mayor. The sermon by the Rev’d Canon Roger Royle, Chaplain to the Lord Mayor, included both humour and much that was thought provoking.

Returning across the courtyard we processed into the Guildhall for the election of the Lord Mayor. This is a fairly lengthy ceremony with a great deal of tradition, speeches and processions in and out. Eventually it was announced that Alderman Charles Bowman had been elected as Lord Mayor for the ensuing year.

An interesting morning rounded off with a lunch at Browns with the Thames Warden and our consorts.