Master Water Conservator

On 22 July 2021, the Wardens, Clerk and I joined the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress at Mansion House to commemorate the purchase of the River Thames conservancy by the City of London in 1197. The cost, 1,500 Marks – about a third of a ton of silver, gave the City control i.e. the ability to rent or tax all users of the River. This arrangement continued into the 19 th Century when the Thames Conservancy was established. Estuarial management was transferred to the Port of London Authority in 1909.   The Celebration includes the presentation to the Lord Mayor of an engraved jug filled with tap water.

On 16 July 2021, I joined the Water Conservation Trust’s Chair and Schools Lead on a socially distanced visit to Thorner's School, Litton Cheney, Dorset, organised by the Trust’s Hon Secretary, Christine Duthie. Thorner’s is a rural primary school with a pre-school class. Chair of Governors John Vercoe and Headteacher Mike Sitch had invited Trustees to come and see what could be done to enhance environmental education and good practice in the use of water. The site visit and a constructive exchange of views means that further work is planned. The visit emphasised what could be achieved with a Trust – School partnership. If this is of interest to Members, please get in touch with Deputy Master Rob Casey.

On 9 July 2021 I had the honour to be installed as the 33 rd Master of the Water Conservators’ Company. This blog will track my (and the Company’s) engagements during my year of office. To those who have a sense of déjà vu , you’re right. I was Master in 2015-16 and have been Elected again because the Wardens were unable to serve in 2021-22. The Court also installed Christine Jervis as Thames Warden, Past Master Colin Drummond as Fleet Warden and Martin Bigg as Walbrook Warden to serve the Membership in 2021-22. Two previous Past Masters, Mark Lane and Rob Casey have struggled, successfully, to keep the Company alive through the use of webinars and remote working. Indeed, the monthly technical presentations have reached an audience of over 130 at times. These webinars will continue for the time being even as the Company opens up to face to face meetings. July is normally a busy month for City and Company events, but the aftermath of lockdown continues. If safe, the Company will