Master Water Conservator

Sunday 25 September was a busy day for the Master, Consort and several of our members. We started by watching the traditional sheep drive across London Bridge and attending the associated livery company fair at Monument. The Master was able to pay his personal respects to the Lord Mayor and exchange greetings with a number of fellow masters. As well as a lovely and important event, this was in the nature of a fact finding operation. We have not to my knowledge participated in driving sheep across the river (at least in recent years); it is less complicated than I had imagined - one does not for instance have to bring one’s own sheep. Perhaps something for a future year? Also could we have a stand at the livery fair showing us conserving water? After that a brief diversion to Guildhall Yard for the Lord Mayor’s military band competition, presided over by our honorary Liveryman and Past Lord Mayor, Sir Andrew Parmley. We were unable to stay long as the our own Water Conservation Trust ...

  On the evening of 24 September a flotilla of cutters and other craft accompanied Her Majesty’s Row Barge Gloriana in a silent illuminated procession down the Thames from Chelsea Harbour to Tower Bridge in honour of our late sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was a most solemn and moving experience. At the kind invitation of the Master Mariner, the Master Water Conservator, Consort and Clerk were privileged to watch the flotilla along with a number of Masters and a contingent of sea cadets from HQS Wellington. The Gloriana solemnly ‘tossed’ (or raised) oars as it passed the Wellington. It was an unforgettable experience and a wonderful tribute to Her Majesty. It also demonstrated yet again that London is one of the finest cities in the world - something we easily forget in the hustle of every day life.

On Friday 16 September, 18 of us foregathered at the historic Castle Hotel for our weekend in Somerset. The hotel is noted for its fine dining (‘far too good for Taunton’ in the acerbic wit of a noted satirist, who is not popular locally) and after welcome drinks we were served a superb dinner which prepared us well for the events to come.   The following morning we strolled across to Taunton Castle itself where we were treated to a wonderful talk by author and historian,Tom Mayberry MBE DL, on a suitable watery topic, the history of the Somerset Levels. Many of you will remember the dreadful flooding of a decade ago; Tom’s talk reminded us that this was nothing new – the Levels are in part below sea level and have been subject to recurring periods of inundation over the past 10,000 years. Man’s response to this through history has been rich and varied. It includes neolithic wooden trackways (such as the Old Sweet Track); King Alfred who used the isle of Athelney as a secure base...

On Saturday 3 September thanks to the good offices of Court Assistant  Christine Jarvis and the Master’s Consort a group of Water Conservators had a hugely enjoyable and illuminating guided tour of All Hallows Church, followed by lunch and then an equally wonderful (illuminated) guided tour of the recently reopened Roman Mithraeum in the Bloomberg building. It was particularly pleasant to be able to visit All Hallows Church since it is of course the home church of our Company chaplain, the Revd. Katherine Hedderley, and we look forward to celebrating our annual Carol Service there on 15 December. The church is the oldest in London, dating back to 675 A.D., and appears to have been built on the site of a Roman house from which remains of mosaic floors survive.  There are also arches from the early Saxon church and two very early carved crosses which were revealed when the church was bombed! Moving forward through time we saw monuments and documents associated with several famou...