79. Postal Museum and Rail Mail Visit, 25 May

A group of 22 Company members and consorts visited the Postal Museum behind the massive Mount Pleasant Sorting Office in Finsbury on the morning of 25 May. Individual groups made their way around this highly interesting Museum.  Exhibits included an early mail coach, through to more recent vans, old post and telephone boxes, stamps, and letters. The photograph below is of a Royal Mail Coach. The Coachman bears a striking resemblance to me!

Everyone then went to the Rail Mail terminal where we all squeezed onto the mail train. It was amazing to learn that the system was first established in the 1930’s. We were taken on a circular ride, stopping periodically at “stations” where original film presentations of the system were shown. At the end of the ride, there were further interesting film presentations of mail deliveries by train and an operational console for the mail rail system.

This was a very interesting visit, rounded off with a small group of us, who had in the past worked in the area, visiting the “Shakespeare’s Head” for a light lunch.  

78. Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch Reception

This reception, held this year at Carpenter’s Hall, is where the result of the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch is announced. The Company had collected £800 at the Election Court Lunch and the Thames Warden and I attended the reception along with a wide range of Livery, City, business and service personnel. This is the first year that the proceeds have gone to the charities of all three services.

The Lord Mayor announced that the proceeds amounted to £180,000 bringing the total raised over the last eleven years to £1.9 million. General Sir Michael Jackson, President of ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity, spoke of the wide range of support that the Armed Forces Charities have provided over the last year, ranging from a 107 year old widow to a 2 year old child. He expressed the hope that the proceeds from next year’s lunch, which is to be held on 4 April 2019, would hit the £200,000 target.

77. The Company of Plumbers Lecture and Dinner, 21 May

It was a great pleasure to be invited to the Worshipful Company of Plumbers’ annual lecture and dinner at the Royal College of Physicians. The lecture, entitled “Good morning do you wish to see a Doctor or a Plumber?” was given by Professor Mala Rao of Imperial College, London and covered the global challenges of water scarcity, water quality, extreme weather events and water conservation, subjects of particular interest to me and of considerable  relevance to our Company. Mala’s presentation is available to view on the Plumber’s website (www.plumberscompany.org.uk). The issue of desalination allowed me to answer a question and I went on to speak about water conservation issues. From comments afterwards this appears to have gone down well!

I was hosted during the evening by Fiona Woolf and it was good to meet with a number of members of the Plumbers’ Company with whom I had considerable contact during my time in the Water Directorate of what was then the DETR and later as a consultant.

It was a privilege to sit on the Master Plumber’s table between his Consort and the Chief Executive of Wateraid.  Very interesting company, an enjoyable meal and excellent wines. My thanks to the Master Plumber for allowing me to be part of a highly interesting and enjoyable evening.

76. 100+ Club Lunch, 18 May

As the title suggests, this is a group of Livery Companies numbered from 101 upwards. Although established at the beginning of the millennium around the time when the Company of Water Conservators took livery, the early activity was fairly limited and even led to a period of inactivity. However, in recent years with the arrival of several more new Companies the idea of lunches was resurrected and the Information Technologists’ Company (number 100), in whose hall recent lunches have been held, have also been included. The Company of World Traders have taken on the role of hosting the event and invitations are extended to the Masters and Clerks of the eligible Companies.

I was delighted to attend this year’s event and was seated on the top table next to the Master World Trader, Michael Mainelli. We were treated to an excellent meal and fine wines after which we adjourned to the local hostelry for the The Styrrup Cup! A splendid day and start to the weekend!

75. Spring Networking Event, 16 May

The culmination of much discussion and the introduction of a new category of membership in a bid to encourage younger professionals into the Company, an evening Networking Event was held in the private members dining room at the Guildhall. Around 30 guests were welcomed by a small group of senior members of the Company. After a brief introduction about the Company Liveryman Robbie Epsom spoke about his experience of being a younger member and why those present should also consider joining. He was followed by the Thames Warden, Simon Catford, who spoke about the mentoring scheme that was being introduced. Following a brief description of the membership categories drinks and canapés were served and the networking began in earnest. My thanks to all who helped to make this a successful evening. The guests were all given a recruitment pack on leaving and hopeful the event will bear fruit with a number of new members.

74. Visit to Museum of London 15 May

Prior to a Trustees meeting and at the invitation of the Grants Manager at the Museum of London a small group of Company members assembled to view the Whitechapel Fatberg display. This block of fat, wet wipes sanitary products and other articles flushed into the sewers weighing 130 tonnes and over 250 metres in length was discovered in September 2017. The amount on display is relatively small but presented a number of challenges in curating and conserving it. The photos and video put it well into context.

We were also treated to a visit of an exhibition entitled “London Nights”. This consists of over 200 photographs by some 50 artists ranging from the late 19th Century to present day many of which had never before been displayed. They are all striking images of the City at night. The exhibition is both fascinating and nostalgic. 

73. Sons & Friends of the Clergy, 15 May.

The origins of this service at St. Paul’s Cathedral date back to 1655 when a service was held and collection taken for the destitute families of priests dispossessed of their livings under Oliver Cromwell. It is now the largest UK charity focussed exclusively on supporting Anglican clergy families. Sandra and I attended this year’s service which was the 364th festival service and was supported by a large number of Livery Companies. The service was well attended by the City dignitaries and the Livery Companies processed down the aisle in reverse numerical precedence to their places under the South Dome. 

The combined choirs of St Paul’s, Gloucester Cathedral and Chelmsford Cathedral led the hymns and sang anthems. The sermon and blessing were given by the newly installed Bishop of London, the Right Reverend and Right Honourable, Dame Sarah Mullally. A beautiful service and a memorable occasion. 

72. The Tudor Pull – 13 May

The Tudor Pull celebrates the use of the River Thames from time immemorial as a means of transportation. An early start to get to Hampton Court in time to robe and then process with our Beadle, the Thames Warden, the Master of the Watermen’s Company and Her Majesty’s Barge Master, accompanied by 8 Royal  Oarsmen from the Queen’s Royal Barge ‘Gloriana’, to the front of Hampton Court Palace. The gates of the Palace then open and the ‘Stela’ is brought out accompanied by pipe and drum the Head Warder and an actor dressed as Henry VIII, to whom I then present the ‘Stela’. After taking wine with the Head Warder, we all process to QRB ‘Gloriana’ which then sets off to Richmond where we stop for lunch. At this point the Thames Warden joins our Cutter “The Water-forget-me-not” which, under the control of our bargemaster Jonny Dwan and rowed by our fantastic crew of ladies, follows the ‘Gloriana’ to the Tower of London. Once there the Royal Barge Master presents the ‘Stela’ to the Governor of the Tower of London.

What an amazing day, the weather kept fine for us, the wine and ‘bubbly’ flowed and the company was great. This year we were filmed by 2 crews. The actor Tony Robinson was filming a programme “Walking the Thames” for Channel 4 and recorded the proceedings from Hampton Court to Richmond. There was also to usual film crew organised by the Thames Traditional Rowing Association. An unforgettable occasion

71. Barts View Day – 9 May

It is amazing to learn that this year is the 468th anniversary of the celebration of View Day at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and I was delighted to have been invited by the Chair of Barts Charity and the Chair of Barts Health NHS Trust to this year’s event.

The evening commenced with choral evensong at the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great. This is one of London’s oldest churches having been in continuous use as a place of worship since at least 1143. The architecture is amazing and it survived the Great Fire in 1666, the bombs dropped in Zeppelin raids during World War I and the Blitz in World War II. It was interesting to read that the church has been featured in a number of award-winning films including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love. Choral evensong was beautifully sung by a small choir and the Rector’s sermon was highly thought provoking.

Following the service we processed to the Great Hall in St Bartholomew’s Hospital for a reception. The Hall is decorated with portraits and dedications to the early contributors to the redevelopment of The Hospital. Most striking is the portrait of Henry VIII at the West end of the room, hands on hips and glaring down at all who enter. The Walls are lined with the names of the benefactors that supported the Hospital from its re-foundation onwards. The names run from 1546 until 1905, at which point space apparently ran out! The amazing ceiling is decorated with gold leaf. Magnificent surroundings for a glass or two of wine and delicious canapés not forgetting of course the interesting speeches about the work of Barts Charities! A brief tour to see the new robotics and a beautifully decorated room for cancer patients who have undergone chemo-therapy rounded off the visit.

70. Wadham College, 4 May

The Company has a close relationship with Wadham College, Oxford, and the Warden, Lord Macdonald QC, is an Honorary Freeman. The Water Conservation Trust has offered a bursary against MSc fees to needy students for over 10 years and, each year, the Master and Trustees have been invited to Oxford to meet the directing staff and new bursary holder. On 4 April, Trustees Roger North, Colin Drummond, David Johnstone, Peter Hall and I were introduced to our new student Gemma Bennett. Gemma is a graduate from Sheffield Hallam University and most recently taught English language in Jordan. She is looking at water management opportunities in the Middle East. Previous bursary students have made an impact on a variety of water sector issues. 

The picture shows Gemma Bennett (centre left), Past Master Colin Drummond (centre right) with members of the directing staff.

69. Presentation on the Culture Mile - 3 May

With my interest in music and the theatre I was delighted to be invited by the Master of the Chartered Surveyor’s Company and the RICS, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, to a presentation in the Livery Hall at Guildhall on the Culture Mile. This is an ambitious initiative that will create a vibrant cultural area in the north-west corner of the City over the next 10-15 years. There are 5 core organisations working together on this project which include the City of London Corporation, the Barbican Centre, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London. There will be three major construction projects which include a new Museum of London at West Smithfield, a centre for music on the site of the current Museum of London and the transformation of Beech Street.

Following the Master Chartered Surveyor’s welcome and introduction, Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley gave a broad outline of the proposals. This was followed with interesting detailed presentations by Peter Lisley, the Culture Mile Director and Assistant Town Clerk and David Bianco the Culture Mile Property Director.  This was a fascinating evening about an outstanding project which was rounded off with drinks and canapés and much discussion with numerous other Livery Masters and representatives from the five core partners.