April and May have been my busiest months yet as Master, with our 600th anniversary celebrations as the focus. I thought the concert and reception at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama was a huge success, with both Sheriffs and over 50 Livery Masters present. The student musicians were superb. The Exhibition of the Company’s Treasures and the Annual Guest Dinner were similarly of the highest quality. Seeing the famous ‘Breeches’ Bible’ and the Company’s archival records from the 16th and 17th centuries were a particular treat for me. These events have raised our profile in the City considerably.
April began though with the New Members’ informal dinner at Davy’s Wine Bar in Piccadilly. This is a new initiative by the Communications Committee and will be repeated new year. In convivial surroundings, the Upper Warden, the Clerk, the Communications Committee Chairman and I and 8 of our members who joined in 2011-12 each had the chance to get to know each other rather better and to discuss the ways of the Company.
Later that week, the Renter Warden in Nomination and I went to The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch at Guildhall in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. There were over 1200 present, which meant there was bit of a queue for food! But I much enjoyed seeing many of my fellow Masters and meeting those involved in the charity. HRH Prince Harry was the Royal Guest of Honour and we were addressed by General Sir Mike Jackson, the Charity’s President. The event once again raised vital funds for soldiers and veterans affected by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Next day, I was a guest at the Chartered Architects Company’s Building of the Year Award. The Leadenhall Building, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and developed by British Land and Oxford Properties, was the winner. The Lord Mayor presented the award and unveiled a plaque, which regrettably fell off the wall at his first attempt!
A week later and I was a guest again of the Chartered Architects’ Company, this time at their lecture at Staple Inn on the effects of the IRA bombings on architectural design in the City. It was fascinating to have the move towards high-rise, iconic buildings explained. And there are several more such buildings planned for the coming years.
The Festival Service of the Sons of the Clergy at St Paul’s Cathedral is a central part of the civic year and always a great occasion. It was a huge honour to process with my fellow Masters at an event attended by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, Alderman and Bishops. I greatly enjoyed having a near front row seat and it was a privilege to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury preach.
The following evening and I was at the Barts View Day. It began with Evensong in St Bartholomew the Great, attended by The Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs, many Masters and senior figures from the NHS Trust. The Bishop of London gave an insightful and amusing address. It was my first visit to this magnificent 12th century Priory church and I fully intend to return for a proper look.
The weekend brought a complete change of scene, when Caroline and I were the guests of Bob and Christine Howard at The Tile Association Annual Awards Dinner at St John’s Hotel and Conference Centre in Solihull. Bob is a past Chairman of the TTA and one of its leading lights. The evening had a Rio Carnival theme. It kicked off with a floor show from Brazilian Fantasy. The female dancers wearing large ostrich feather headdresses but very little else certainly caught their audience’s attention as they performed an energetic samba! I had the pleasure of presenting the Employee of the Year award, Bafta style.
A few days’ later and another change of scene. This time, it was the Buckingham Palace Garden Party. It was a Rider family occasion as Caroline and I were able to bring our sons, Christopher and William, with us. We greatly enjoyed walking around the Palace gardens. Immediately before it, we lunched at the Goring Hotel, where we bumped into several Masters and their wives, and then joined the queue for entry into the Palace, only to find the Dean of St Paul’s immediately behind us. He well recalled being our guest of honour at the Annual Guests Dinner at Goldsmiths Hall two years before.
The following week, I attended the Veterans Aid reception at Trinity House. I was hugely impressed by this charity, which provides help, often emergency-style assistance, for ex-servicemen and women in crisis.
Next was Christ’s Hospital Speech Day. Caroline and I had the pleasure of seeing Onyinye, our Presentee, receive two prizes from The Lord Mayor, and of being introduced by her to her parents. This is an amazing and hugely successful school, with two thirds of its 900 pupils supported by the City Livery Movement. Onyinye finishes at the school this summer and has plainly loved her time there. She awaits her IB results but is confident she will secure enough points to take up her place at King’s College in the autumn.
This busy but highly enjoyable two months ended with Deputy Master David Cole-Adams and I presenting the Company’s History to The Lord Mayor in a private meeting at Mansion House on 1st June. The Lord Mayor wrote a Foreword to the book. He warmly congratulated the Company on the book and on the 600th anniversary of our first recorded Master.
