On Thursday 27 January 2022, the Company held Common Hall on Zoom. Common Hall is the Company’s annual general meeting. We decided that we would meet on Zoom rather than in person because of continuing concerns about the omicron covid variant so that many people were reluctant to use public transport or attend crowded events. Using Zoom also enabled us to reach many more people than would have been the case, even without the uncertainty caused by covid.
The accounts of the Company for the year ended 29 September 2021 were presented by the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Court Assistant Keith Cawdell, and Court Assistant Alan Dodd, the Honorary Secretary to the charitable trusts gave a financial update on the charities. I am pleased to report that both the Company and the charities are in a strong financial position.

Common Hall on Zoom – 27 January 2022

There was also an interesting discussion at Common Hall prompted by a question from Liveryman William Fuller: “Why does the construction industry struggle to recruit new bricklaying apprentices, and what measures can be adopted to alleviate the problem?”. Court Assistant David White, Chairman of the Craft Committee gave an initial response, which was followed by contributions from several members with craft experience. The Craft Committee will discuss the question further and will consider what steps, if any, the Company can realistically take to highlight and address this issue. One option might be to bring together relevant stakeholders (employers, training establishments, industry training bodies and others) to see if there is common ground on the scale of the problem and the possible solutions.

Court and Livery Dinner

We held our annual Court & Livery Dinner at Cutlers’ Hall on Thursday 3 February. This is always an enjoyable and popular event in the Company calendar – the only occasion in the year when we dine without guests so there is an opportunity to spend more time chatting to old friends and new.
Dinner was served in the intimate surroundings of the Court Room and Dining Room at Cutlers’ Hall – one long table, candlelit, with gleaming silver. The Master, Wardens and Clerk have fixed places at the table and all other members draw seats at random. Upper Warden Professor John Schofield introduced the wines: a Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, tasted blind, which baffled most of those round the table, and two glorious clarets served with the main course – a Chateau Lagrange St Julien 2005 from the Master’s cellar and a Chateau Tour St. Bonnet 2010.

I said in my speech of welcome that, after two years of lockdowns and social distancing, we have all realised that there are some things that can only be done in person and many activities that are better done face to face – and dining together, enjoying good fellowship with friends, is certainly one of those activities. In short, we need to get back into the habit of attending Livery events and functions. The Court & Livery dinner was a good first step.

The Court & Livery dinner at Cutlers’ Hall on 3 February 2022

Wapping Group of Artists exhibition and lunch at the Athenaeum

The Wapping Group of Artists meet each Wednesday evening between April and September to paint “en plein air” anywhere between Henley and the Thames Estuary. Membership is limited to 25 artists at any given time. Liveryman Karl Terry has been a member of the Wapping Group since 2011 and is a talented artist as well as a Master Craftsman roof tiler.

On Friday 11 February 2022, a group of about 25 members and guests visited the 75th annual exhibition of the Wapping Group at the Mall Galleries. We were welcomed by the President of the Group, Roger Dellar. Roger and fellow artists, Geoff Hunt (Chairman) and John Killens (Secretary), as well as Karl, introduced us to their works, explaining when, where and how the paintings were executed.

The Wapping Group of Artists exhibition at the Mall Galleries

After an hour or so, we walked the short distance to the Athenaeum Club where we had an excellent lunch in the appropriately named Picture Room. A full report of this enjoyable and relaxed event can be found in the Events reports elsewhere on the website.

Simon Martin
Master 2021-22

For many people, the build up to Christmas from Advent until 25 December, with the anticipation of time with family and friends, of giving and receiving presents and of Christmas parties, carols, food and drink, is as enjoyable as Christmas Day itself.  This year, however, the days leading up to Christmas were overshadowed by the rapid spread of the omicron COVID variant and dire warnings from the media of the risk of being stuck in isolation over Christmas or, even worse, another Christmas lockdown.

The Carol service - 16 December 2021

We were due to hold the annual carol service and Christmas supper on Thursday 16 December, preceded by the last Court meeting of the year.  The messages from the Government were confusing and somewhat contradictory:  we should work from home if possible (should we therefore move the Court meeting to Zoom?) but church services and Christmas parties could go ahead without restrictions, other than the wearing of masks in church, except when singing.  On top of this, the Government's scientific advisors gave clear guidance that people should limit social contact to minimise risk.  Against this backdrop, we decided, with a heavy heart, to cancel the Christmas supper but we went ahead with the Court meeting and carol service.

The carol service was as special as always with wonderful singing from the choir and the familiar readings in the beautiful setting of St Margaret Lothbury.  Sadly, there were only about 30 of us in the church as many people made the entirely understandable decision not to travel into London with the risk of catching COVID just over a week before Christmas.  The carol service was also the last occasion when our Honorary Chaplain, John Cook, preached to the Company.  John has been our Honorary Chaplain for more than 20 years and over that time has served us well and faithfully and with great kindness.  John has guided us, instructed us, given comfort and become a good friend to many in the Company.  I was pleased to have the opportunity during the carol service to thank John for his service to the Company and to present him with an inscribed silver dish.  John will remains in the Company as a Liveryman and I hope that we will therefore see John and his wife, Camilla, at Company events and functions for many years to come.

John and Penny Brooks

A few days before Christmas, Past Masters Lesley Day and Michel Saminaden, Upper Warden John Schofield and I visited John and Penny Brooks at home.  We were delighted to find them both fit and well and on good form.  The principal reason for the visit was to present John with an inscribed silver dish and a cheque to mark his retirement last year after 10 years as Clerk to the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers.  The presentation was long overdue but previous attempts to arrange a date had been thwarted by various lockdowns and medical appointments.  I hope that we will see John and Penny at a Company function in 2022.

The New Year in the Livery world begins with the City New Year service at St Michael Cornhill in early January.  The Government has just announced that no additional Covid restrictions will be introduced in England before New Years Eve and there appears to be some cautious optimism that the NHS will be able to cope with the level of hospital admissions.  Let us hope that this remains the case and we can all look forward to a full calendar of events in the early months of the New Year.

Simon Martin, Master

A new year but the spectre of covid continues to have an adverse impact on work and social life and make event planning at best uncertain.  Fortunately, January is generally a quiet month in the Livery world and therefore there have been fewer occasions when I have had to ask “is the event going ahead?” or consider “should I take the risk and attend this event?”.

City New Year Service – St Michael’s, Cornhill – 7 January 2022

The streets of the City were eerily empty – perhaps in part because some people were still on holiday at the end of the first week in January but mainly, I suspect, because of the covid “work from home” order.  The City New Year service is usually overflowing, with late arrivals crammed in behind pillars.  But not this year – St Michael’s Cornhill was, at best, only half full, with the congregation masked.  The Lord Mayor and the Governor of the Bank of England read the lessons, the choir sang beautifully and the highlight for the congregation was a rousing, if muffled, rendition of “I Vow to thee my Country”.  The sermon was given by Jeremy Marshall, the former CEO of Hoare & Co and first non-family member to hold the post.  Mr Marshall spoke movingly of a terminal cancer diagnosis 8 years ago and his simple, yet profound faith so that he does not fear death.  A very powerful and thought-provoking testimony.

Sadly, the reception at Drapers’ Hall that usually follows the New Year service was cancelled but there was an opportunity to greet fellow Masters and their Clerks on the steps of the church after the service.

Brickskill lecture and demonstration – Monday 10 January 2022

The Brickskill lecture and demonstration was given by Master Bricklayer and Liveryman Dr Gerard Lynch, assisted by Master Bricklayer Elect and Liveryman John Gorman, from Gerard’s workshop at his home in Woburn Sands. 

The lecture covered traditional lime-based mortars and a demonstration of four traditional pointing techniques.  There is a full report and some excellent photographs in the event reports section of the Company website.  I was invited to observe the demonstration at first hand and to attempt some of the pointing techniques that Gerard and John had executed.  I can report that it is much  than it looks and I now have an even greater respect for the skills, stamina and technical expertise of the craftsmen and women who execute these skills to a high standard on site.

We had always planned to hold this event on Zoom to enable all members of the Company to watch the lecture and demonstration in a way that would not have been possible if we had met in person.  The filming of the lecture and demonstration was undertaken by Gerard’s son, Liam, also a craftsman bricklayer, who expertly used two cameras to capture the presentation and to provide close ups of the detailed work.  I must also thank Gerard’s wife Fiona, and Liam’s partner, Ellie, who kept the team in the workshop refreshed. 

Gerard and John demonstrating pointing techniques 

It is undoubtedly one of the few positives to emerge from the pandemic that we can film and present a lecture and practical demonstration in this way to more than 30 people, watching live from their homes all over the country and abroad, in a way that would not have been envisaged before the first lockdown in March 2020.  I hope that this is an initiative that we can maintain and extend to demonstrations of our other crafts.  We should also investigate whether we can open up such lectures to members of other Companies in the Construction Group of Livery Companies.

Back to the City for lunch and dinner – 10 January 2022

No functions in the City for nearly a month and then two in the same day! 

I was invited to attend the Worshipful Company of Masons Epiphany Court Luncheon held at Mercers’ Hall.  This was a relaxed and happy occasion with just two other visiting Masters:  the Master Plumber and Master Chartered Surveyor.  The principal guest was Dr William Ricketts, a lung cancer specialist from Barts, who has been on the covid frontline for the last 22 months.  Dr Ricketts spoke eloquently and thoughtfully about the strain on NHS staff of dealing with covid patients, especially in the early months when treatment techniques had not been developed and deaths were common.  He also offered a glimmer of hope that the omicron variant does not appear to cause such severe illness and that the number of hospital admissions were starting to fall.

In the evening, our Clerk, Heather Smith, and I attended the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers Masters and Clerks dinner.  The Plaisterers generously invite all the Masters and Clerks of the other City Livery Companies to attend and more than half were present.  The seating plan must be a work of great skill and diplomacy, not least as there had inevitably been some last-minute cancellations and dropouts.  It was a splendid occasion in the magnificent Plaisterers’ Hall.

The principal guest was Sir Robert Buckland, former Lord Chancellor and Minister of Justice.  It was interesting to compare and contrast Sir Robert’s recollections of his time in office with those of David Gauke, who was the principal guest at my Installation Lunch at the end of September 2021.  By convention, the Clerk to the Plaisterers’ Company replies on behalf of the Clerks to the Master’s speech of welcome and her gentle teasing.  Both speeches were suitably restrained and well done.

Two wonderful events in the same day which ended any vague of hope of a dry January or a New Year diet! 

November is a busy month in the City calendar with the installation of the new Lord Mayor and the Remembrance Day service and parade. It is also a time of competitions and awards ceremonies in our three crafts.

“We will Remember them”

I have been invited to represent the Company at two Remembrance services in the City. The first was the annual Garden of Remembrance Service in St Paul’s Churchyard, held on 8 November. The Masters and Clerks gathered at Plaisterers’ Hall on London Wall. We were lined up in order of precedence and followed the Standards of the Royal British Legion in procession down to St Paul’s where we formed up in ranks of six. Fortunately, it was a bright, crisp morning. Shortly before 11am, the Dean and other Ministers arrived, leading the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs to their places. There was a short service, accompanied by the band of the Grenadier Guards, concluding with the familiar exhortation, the Last Post and a perfectly observed two-minute silence before Reveille was sounded. There then followed the planting of the crosses in the Garden of Remembrance, led by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the Sheriffs, the Dean, representatives of City Schools and emergency services and with the Masters of the Livery Companies approaching in ranks of six. Very moving.

The week ended with a Remembrance Sunday service in St Paul’s Cathedral on 14 November. The Masters, Wardens and Clerks were seated in the south transept, all gowned and badges worn. The Aldermen were seated in the Choir and were joined by the Sheriffs and the new Lord Mayor, Vincent Keaveney, resplendent in his full robes and preceded by the sword and mace. Finally, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, representing the Queen, took his place and the service began. It was a moving service with wonderful singing from the choir. The timing was impeccable. As the last echo of the final note of the Last Post died away, the great bell of St Paul’s struck eleven and there was complete silence. The service ended with a rousing singing of the National Anthem and then the Masters, Wardens and Clerks formed up on the south steps of the Cathedral. We processed up New Change and down Cheapside to the Royal Exchange (fortunately the roads were closed) where there was a wreath laying ceremony at the City of London War Memorial, Royal Exchange opposite the Bank of England. The wreath laying was led by the Lord Mayor and Prince Michael of Kent and accompanied by the band of the Honorable Artillery Company. The ceremony ended with a march past of the band, a detachment of the HAC, a group of Old Comrades and a gaggle of army cadets, scouts, guides and brownies, with the salute taken by the Lord Mayor from the viewing platform at Mansion House.

“And the winner is…”

I was invited as a guest of the NFRC to the UK Roofing Awards 2021, held at the InterContinental London – the O2 on 5 November. The awards were cancelled due to covid in 2020 so there was an air of celebration in the room as nearly 1,000 roofers, sponsors and their guests gathered in the ballroom of the hotel. It was great to witness the quality of the projects that were shortlisted for awards in the Roof Slating and Roof Tiling categories but not surprising to find that Liverymen Andy Rowlands (Roof Slating) and Franke Clarke (Roof Tiling) were on the list, with Frank’s team winning the prize in their category. Liveryman Gerald Emerton’s company also triumphed in the small-scale project category for some fine work on the restoration of a slate covered turret on a village hall.

A few days later, I was the guest of Liveryman Keith Aldis at the Brick Awards dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, organised by the Brick Development Association. The Brick Awards celebrate the use of clay bricks in a wide variety of building projects ranging from individual houses to large public and commercial buildings and from traditional to highly innovative schemes. The judging panel comprised architects, brickmakers, developers and brickwork contractors and included Past Master David Cole-Adams and Liveryman Ian Wilson. The Visitor Centre at St Albans Cathedral, which our Clerk, Heather Smith, commissioned and oversaw in her previous role as Lay Administrator at the Cathedral (using bricks from Liveryman David Armitage’s York Handmade Brick Company), was Highly Commended in the Public buildings category, coming second behind the Lambeth Palace Library – a case perhaps of Archbishop trumps Bishop? I was invited on to the stage to present the award in the Overseas category. The prize was awarded to a community project in China who, perhaps unsurprisingly, had not sent a representative to collect the award. Keith will now have to arrange for the delivery the clay brick trophy to the winners in China!

On 18 November, I went with the Chair of the Craft Committee, David White, to the SkillBuild 2021 National Finals held at the National Construction College at Bircham Newton in Norfolk. In previous years, SkillBuild has been part of WorldSkills UK and held at the NEC but this year the national finals in different categories have been held at different venues around the UK. The roof tiling and slating competition was held at Rowlands Roofing in Hereford in the previous week but the finals in bricklaying and wall and floor tiling were held at the NCC alongside plastering, stonemasonery, painting and decorating, carpentry, furniture and cabinet making and joinery, with apprentices from across the four countries of the UK taking part. The standard of work produced by the young apprentices under the pressure of the competition was astonishing and it was a privilege to have an opportunity to meet and chat to the next generation of master craftsmen. The winners will be announced next week and the winning apprentices in the bricklaying and wall and floor tiling categories, as well as the winning roofing apprentice from the Hereford competition, will be invited to the Craft Awards Lunch next March. The Company sponsored the award in the bricklaying stretch test (a separate competition of speed and accuracy) and I was delighted to present the award to the winning apprentice.

The support given by the Company in various ways to our three crafts is an essential part of what we stand for in the 21st century. It has been wonderful to be able to witness the quality of the craftsmanship at first hand and a privilege to represent the Company at these events. I am grateful to Court Assistant David White for his leadership of the Craft Committee and for his hard work in nurturing and strengthening our relationships with the trade bodies and individuals who represent the crafts.