MASTER’S BLOG

I feel slightly rested after the less hectic April – probably my quietest month since taking office and feel ready for the onslaught of May! There is much to look forward to.

Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Only two engagements today. I join our learned clerk at Stationers Hall to undertake a “Freedom of the Company” ceremony for five aspiring Liverymen – Helen Tomkys, John Tillett, Will Anslow-Wilson, Chris Clark and Panos Lymperopolous. It is great to see so many taking their first step by obtaining the freedom of the Company, which will in turn enable them to become Liverymen. Hopefully I shall be able to admit at least some before I leave office in October.

My second event of the day takes Kim and me to the Spring Honours Dinner, given by Imperial College London at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel at Russell Square. This is the second offer of hospitality that Kim and I have been able to accept from this eminent institution this year.

We relax during the pre-dinner drinks secure in the knowledge that we are sitting on table 4.

Oh dear – what a mistake. Table 4 appears to be the top table of eight. Those joining us are no less than the President of Imperial Professor Hugh Brady, partnered for the evening by Dame Mary Archer (eminent in her own field) and amongst others by Dr Noubar Afyan and his wife Dr Afyan being the Co-founder and Board Chairman of Moderna responsible for the development and production of the Covid vaccine! He is to receive an honorary degree the following morning and has flown in from Japan with his wife earlier in the day! I like to think that Kim and I “held our own”, another wonderful evening representing the Company.

Wednesday 3rd May 2023

There is little time to reflect on the previous evening for today we are invited by his Majesty the King to the first garden party of his reign.

We celebrate prior to this occasion by joining seven other Masters and their consorts for lunch at the RAF Club, organised by the Master Plumber and the Master Weaver. A splendid lunch among those who are fast becoming our friends, prepares us for the afternoon.

The weather holds fair. Not too hot and all of the ladies looking magnificent and sporting their consorts’ jewels queue patiently with us as we seek admission to the Palace.

Once inside there is a certain amount of waiting to see the King process through the rows of his subjects, however he too is learning for it takes him a lot longer than his mother used to take to cover the same distance! We come within 6 feet of him and then a course correction occurs, and he veers to the other side of the allotted path! We have tea, we bump into Bishop Christopher (as I did the last time I attended when I was there as the guest of Ros) and we compare notes.

We tour the gardens, listen to the band and thoroughly enjoy the afternoon.

Sunday 7th May 2023

Today is the start of the Master’s Needlemakers holiday – “A Taste of Cornwall”

This is the great test! 16 months of planning have gone into organising hopefully 4 days of seamlessly efficient entertainment. The aim? To ensure no-one gets lost, no-one gets injured, and everyone stays in good spirits. The holiday is based at the Alverton Hotel in Truro. A central location. Everyone arrives without hitch on Sunday afternoon/evening, and we enjoy a welcome drink and supper.

Monday 8th May 2023

I am greatly relieved at approximately 9.50 a.m. to see the arrival of the coach that I have booked which will convey us on our various visits this week. As it pulls into the car park, driven expertly by “Dave” who will show off his inordinate expertise in negotiating narrow country lanes repeatedly through the week, a weight is lifted from my mind.

We enjoy a whole day visit to the Eden Project. Marred only by slightly overcast conditions and a deluge of biblical proportion which decides to descend upon us as we make our way back to the coach.

That evening in the hotel we enjoy our first formal dinner of the holiday with entertainment at the end of the evening provided by the Truro Male Voice Choir who sing us a selection of Cornish songs and shanties.

Tuesday 9th May 2023

Today the coach takes us to the National Trust Gardens at Trelissick. The gardens are lovely, there is a house to visit, art gallery, tearoom etc all very useful for it drizzles most of the morning! At the end of the morning, we are supposed to walk the length of the gardens to the pontoon on the river Fal where I have organised a launch to take us on a cruise up the Fal and then to St Mawes terminating at Falmouth. Well –we could have been on the bridge of a North Sea trawler! It chucked it down! I must thank the fortitude of my fellow travellers for their kindness in not throwing me overboard to assuage the Gods! All improves when we get to Falmouth, and everybody negotiates the slippery stone steps at Prince of Wales Quay. Dave is there with a lovely warm coach, and he conveys us across the town to the Princess Pavilions where we enjoy a traditional cream tea with Hevva Cake. The evening is “at leisure” (Kim and I escape to the Pizza Express).

Wednesday 10th May 2023

Today will be a long day. The coach takes us to Geevor where there is a mining museum and heritage centre. We spend a fascinating time there in the company of a former miner who gives us a tour of the works (frozen in time at the point that production ceased) and we also venture into a mine. Kim has arranged for everyone to have a Cornish Pasty lunch and most importantly the weather is kind to us.

After lunch we enjoy a scenic 9¼ mile run along the coast from Geevor to St Ives where everyone has a couple of hours to enjoy themselves (although it seems almost everybody decided to buy ice creams)!

At 5.45 p.m. we attend the Tate St Ives Art Gallery which I have arranged to open especially for us. We are entertained to an introductory talk about the gallery and its construction followed by an hour’s tour of the galleries themselves with the emphasis on Cornish art and artists. Thereafter we retire to the restaurant and its balcony for a drink overlooking the sea and an excellent “fish supper”. In collaboration with the gallery staff and the excellent “Dave” we are able to ensure that the coach positions itself on the rooftop car park and we leave after a splendid evening in the biggest goods lift I have ever seen, which conveys us to the roof and onto the coach.

This morning we attend Truro Cathedral and split into two groups, one having a tour of the building itself and the second the treasures of the Cathedral and we then switch about. It is an interesting morning in one of the smallest cities in the UK.

All is revealed when we arrive Caerhays Castle, the private home of Mr and Mrs Charles Williams. The damp ground prevents the champagne and canape reception from occurring outside, however they generously allow us full run of the ground floor of their magnificent home and Charles in particular is extremely entertaining. He joins us for dinner.

At approximately 5.30 p.m. after a glass of fizz at the hotel, we depart for the end of holiday formal dinner. Kim and I have kept the destination secret throughout the planning and the holiday, stating only that it will be held in a privately owned castle. Despite trying to do so and the asking of ridiculous probing questions, we survive the week with the destination intact.

Friday 12th May 2023

After breakfast everyone departs – some to visit friends, some to walk the coastline, some to break their return elsewhere. Kim and I can relax. It has been a wonderful experience to spend so much time in the company of each other. It is what we as Needlemakers do best. I like to reflect on the fact that we have achieved what we set out to do.

Tuesday 16th May 2023

I attend a very interesting discussion entitled “Your Eyes” hosted by the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers at St Thomas’ Hospital. Several addresses are given followed by a very interesting discussion and inevitably an element of socialising.

Wednesday 17th May 2023

I attend a meeting to interview those individuals who have expressed an interest and willingness in becoming Court Assistants of the Company. All the time that we have a steady stream of interesting and willing individuals who have a desire to assist the Company in its governance, we are going in the right direction. Today is absolutely no exception. There are two engagements today. The second is the Livery Concert held by the Mercers Company. It has been explained to me on several occasions that this is one of the years “hot tickets”! Although advised to save the date many months earlier, information has been sparse but on enquiry I finally ensure that we have “made the cut”.

Kim and I attend at the splendid hall that the Mercers maintain expecting some chamber music, perhaps a little Mozart etc. We are brought up short by when entering the Livery Hall we find spotlights, a drum kit, amplifiers etc. We are entertained in concert by Ruby Turner, one of the UK’s finest soul, jazz and R&B singers. This is a glorious illustration of the Livery. Here we are seated in one of the oldest halls of the premier Livery Company listening to Ruby Turner (who makes quite a noise). Almost everyone seems to enjoy the concert (possibly apart from whoever was seated behind Kim, who couldn’t seem to stay in her seat for very long!)

After the concert, we move into the Court Dining Room and the large Court Room where 18 tables accommodate a vast number of Livery Masters and their consorts. A truly wonderful evening and one I would venture to suggest to those that follow me, - not to be missed.

Monday 22nd May 2023

I attend the Royal Fusiliers Memorial Chapel Annual Memorial Lecture. This proves to be a fascinating and interesting evening in what I understand is the largest Parish Church in the city. There are only three or so Livery Masters present, including my good friend John May of the Paviors and it transpires that the Parish Priest doubles as Chaplin to the Fuellers – The Livery movement is never far away.

Saturday 27th May 2023

Kim and I are privileged to be invited to attend the Speech Day at Christ’s Hospital School. As a Company we present the Needlemakers prize for outstanding commitment in the study of art and design. Prizes are also given by six other Livery Companies, some of whose Masters are also present. We are warmly welcomed and made to feel very much at home. We enjoy coffee and then attend the Chapel service.

The Lord Mayor and Sheriffs also attend. The church service itself held in the Chapel is a wonderful celebration of music, but there is far more to come.

After we leave Chapel, we move out to the quadrangle where the famous Christ’s Hospital Band (often featured in the Lord Mayors’ Show), shows off its paces. The Lord Mayor and the Principal guests take their place at the saluting point whereupon the entire school by house march past and salute the Lord Mayor. When that has concluded, the band which has played stationary in the middle of the Quad, advances, wheels right, counter marches across the front of the saluting base, saluting the Lord Mayor, counter marches wheels right again and disappears towards the big school. The weather is wonderful, the sun shines and you could not be witnessing anything better.

We attend the prize giving in the big school and, to our delight, we see Isabella Marshall win the Needlemakers Prize. Lunch follows and we manage to be introduced to Isabella and her parents. Photographs are taken (hopefully already viewed elsewhere) and we accompany Isabella to the Art Department where she is able to show us her award-winning work.

We learn that she set her heart on winning this prize some two years ago and has worked tirelessly in its pursuit since then. A truly worthy winner and we wish her every success at the London College of Fashion where she starts in October. She has promised to stay in touch with the Company and we shall ensure that we stay in touch and monitor the work of this talented young woman.

The Masters role does not always encompass eating and drinking. This afternoon there is a meeting held between me, Court Assistant Ben James and the Clerk to discuss the terms of a new Supplemental Charter, which it is hoped that the Company will apply for within the next 6 months, to ensure that those practices which we have in recent years adopted for the operation of the Company, are properly codified. (For example: e-mail communications etc did not exist in 1664). A very fruitful discussion ensues.

At the end of our meeting, I perform a Freedom Ceremony for a candidate introduced by Ben – Simon Sadinski.