61. St George’s Day Luncheon, April 21, 2022


The Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames invited Masters and Clerks to its St George’s Day Lunch at Watermen’s Hall. The Master, Derek Mann welcomed the guests, which included a large proportion from the Livery. The Company was founded in 1514, when the earliest Act of Parliament for regulating watermen, wherrymen and bargemen received Royal Assent from King Henry VIII. In 1700 the Lightermen (carriers of goods/cargo) joined the Watermen’s Company. In 1780 the Company moved into its Hall at St Mary-at-Hill.

The Company is a working guild and is very actively involved with the life of the River Thames and those who work on it. Watermen have long standing relations with the Fishmongers and Vintners (see above) and the Master Fishmonger, Sir Alan Yarrow, was the principal speaker.


Those with long memories will remember that, in the presence of (Sir) Andrew Parmley, in 2015, I presented the then Lord Mayor with a Water Jug filled with Thames Water. Those with shorter memories will recognise our highly regarded former Beadle, Tony, who remains with the Watermen.


Derek and his Company were most welcoming and, in the course of the Lunch, told an amusing parrot joke to keep us entertained. Not to be outdone, Sir Alan provided a second. I am most grateful to the Master Waterman for the invitation to the superb Lunch and for the excellent company.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

47. The Apothecaries, March 7, 2022

Image
  The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London held its inaugural lecture: Pandemics, Pounds & Partnerships by Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, at its very attractive Hall in Black Friars Lane.   Peter Sands is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Global Fund’s operational and administrative functions, working under the guidance of the Global Fund Board. The lecture was fascinating and covered the financing - donations from government and individuals, to the programmes running in many countries. The slow progress towards eradication had been interrupted by the Covid19 pandemic, and would take some time to recover. One indirect benefit was that the public health infrastructure supported by the Global Fund had been very important to survival rates in many countries. This was a lesson that some developed countries needed to learn before the inevitable next pandemic. To regard the pandemic a
Read more

73. The Master’s Trip to Venice, May 25-29, 2022

Image
It is customary for the Master to arrange a visit to somewhere that reflects his and the Company’s interests. For the last year, my Consort, Georgina, has been trying to get the Venetian authorities to allow us to visit the flood defences. Due to the pandemic, this was not possible but the boat we stayed on, the Michelangelo , did approach some of them. Mostly tied up near St Mark’s Square, we had the opportunity to visit the main sights using the water buses, as well as taking the ‘secret itinerary’ tour at the Doge’s Palace, visiting the prison cells where Casanova was held – until he escaped!   As usual (for us anyway) we got lost on day 1 – but they say if you haven’t got lost walking in Venice, you haven’t been there! I am grateful for Georgina’s hard work, without which this visit would not have been possible, and the endless good humour of the Conservators and partners who made this visit so enjoyable.
Read more

13. The Michaelmas Lunch, September 27, 2021

Image
On 27 September 2021, the Company held its Michaelmas Lunch at Trinity House. The Master welcomed over 60 Members and guests to the first face to face Lunch since January 2020. The theme was climate action and the speaker was Alderman Sheriff Elect Alison Gowman. Her theme was working with City institutions to acknowledge the pressing need to address climate change and to be prepared to support actions that would lead to reductions in carbon emissions. City Livery Companies have a part to play and Alison had formed a pan-Livery partnership to develop and adopt individual climate action plans in the run up to COP26.  Alderman and Sheriff Elect Alison Gowman, the Master, Alderman Dr Sir Andrew Parmley and the Master’s Consort, Georgina She was pleased to note the significant contribution from Members of our Company, led by Deputy Master Rob Casey, and that our Court had adopted our own Climate Action Plan earlier in the day. Action is everything, and our contributors have been asked to f
Read more