Master Water Conservator

On Thursday 27 October, a group of Conservators were treated to a splendid night time tour of the Tower of London, courtesy of our Bailiff Mark Anderson, who is a Warden of the Tower - a.k.a. Beefeater. As we walked round we were entertained with background on what it takes even to be considered for appointment as a Beefeater (22 years unblemished military service as a starting point, which Mark well exceeded). This was followed by a summary of the Tower’s frankly grisly history before we adjourned to the Wardens’ own pub, splendidly adorned with memorabilia of the Tower and its varied occupants. After refreshments and a raffle in aid of the Beefeaters’ own charity (which supports any number of deserving causes) we moved on to the high point of the evening, the Ceremony of the Keys or locking of the gates for the night - a daily event for more than 700 years. The military contingent was provided by the Gurkhas - with whom one would be ill advised to pick a fight. A most moving and insp

On 26 October Georgina had the great pleasure of attending a fabulous lunch for consorts organised by the Plaisterers Company in their beautiful Hall (see photos). The lunch was preceded by a demonstration of eighteenth century aristocratic dancing ( a series of dignified little bounces) and included two talks, one on Robert Adam the designer and architect and the other on early jewellery.  Fascinating to learn that the reason Victorian jewellery is often large and clumsy is that it was chosen by men since at that date though women were the wearers it would have been owned by their husbands. A really excellent meal was followed by attractive performance by two promising young musicians. It was a privilege to attend this sparkling event and I have conveyed heartiest thanks to the Mistress Plaisterer.

It has been a busy week for the Master and Consort. On Monday 24 October the Master met Alan Lovell DL, Chair of EA, to share perspectives on governance of the water sector (one of our Company’s themes for the current year). Alan kindly agreed to join our impressive line up of speakers on this topic at our next annual City Water Debate (5.30 for 6.00pm on Tuesday 21 March 2023, the eve of World Water Day).  Other confirmed speakers are Sir Dieter Helm CBE (Oxford University), John Hirst CBE, (Chair of Anglian Water),  and Lila Thompson (Chief Executive of British Water) in what is one of our Company’s flagship events. On Wednesday 24 took place a splendid event for Masters’ Consorts - see Georgina’s separate blog (number 21 in this series). On Thursday 25 October the Master joined some twenty other Masters for a meeting with the outgoing Lord Mayor, Vincent Keaveny. Particular topics discussed were sustainability and philanthropy. I took the opportunity of mentioning our coming City

The visit was arranged by the Master of the Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and hosted by her partner, a senior academic at the College.   The College normally admits 300 students each year (360 this year).   While theory is learned in the Camden campus, the Brookmans Park site has outstanding facilities for the practical part of the course.   The Thames Warden Martin Bigg was accompanied by his Consort Eileen.   They were introduced to ways of learning to administer fluids to horses and pets without causing harm or being kicked.   They were then shown round the operating theatres and hospital, learning about MRI scans, extracting teeth from horses and administering anaesthetics.   Finally they learnt about the non-commercial blood transfusion service the College provides for cats and dogs, rewarding animal donors with biscuits and other luxuries.   The visit concluded with an excellent meal at a nearby hostelry.

  The Thames Warden Martin Bigg and the Clerk Christine Duthie attended the service on behalf of the Company at the invitation of Billingsgate Market and Ward.   The service was conducted by the Bishop of Birmingham, who, although based 72 miles from the sea, has had long connections with the sea, having worked for BP and started as a chaplain in Hull.   St Mary-at-Hill was packed with representatives of the fishing industry and the Fishmongers Company.   Items from the magnificent display of fish were offered to everyone present in return for donations to the church and fishermen’s charities.

  The Thames Fishery Research Experiment started in 1967 and has been held every year from 1972.   The objective is to establish the environmental condition of the Thames through determining the number and size of fish species returning to the river at Gravesend, during a four-hour period on an incoming tide.   73 anglers representing eleven teams took part this year - eight adult teams and three teams of school-age anglers.   Anglers caught 879 fish of nine species.   This is the second highest number of fish in the event’s 50 year history (beaten only by a catch of 882 fish in 2005) and the highest number of species since 2005.   The Thames Warden Martin Bigg presented the Biodiversity Award on behalf of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators to the Essex County Angling Team.   It was very interesting hearing from the anglers how the variety of fish has changed due to climate change. Support is also received from the Port of London Authority and the Fishmongers’ Company

  The service has been held since 1914 and is in the magnificent surroundings of St Paul’s Cathedral in London with superb music from the cathedral choir and the Musicians’ Company.   Masters and Wardens from other livery companies are invited to join the Musicians and create a spectacle as they process under the great dome.   The Water Conservators were represented by the Thames Warden Martin Bigg, Past Master Mark Lane and Clerk Christine Duthie.   After the service there was a reception in the crypt which provided a valuable opportunity to mingle with other livery companies.

Masters and Senior Wardens of the Companies numbered 78-110 gathered at the Armourers’ Hall to hear about the commitment of the City of London and Livery Companies to green spaces ranging from Belize to Epping Forest. Modern Companies are generally accepted as those which gained Livery status since 1932, even if their trade long predates then. The Company was represented by the Thames Warden Martin Bigg.   It was a valuable opportunity to share perspectives of the livery and the work of individual companies.

The election took place at Common Hall in the Great Hall of the Guildhall and was preceded by a procession of the livery companies in reverse order from the crypt.   This meant that the Water Conservators were near the front for a change!   With great ceremony the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs and Officers entered the hall for the hustings and all those who were not Liverymen were requested to “depart the hall on pain of imprisonment”. The Common Serjeant read the names of the Aldermen who having served as Sheriff were eligible to be Lord Mayor.   After the election the Lord Mayor Elect fortunately assented to take up the office and then addressed Common Hall.   There were then presentations by the outgoing Lord Mayor and Sheriffs.   It was very encouraging to hear of the contribution of the Livery, City of London and Lord Mayor to the benefit of the City and country. The Thames Warden, Martin Bigg, represented the company and participated in the election of Nicolas Lyons (Mercha

In addition to the many events the Master attends in any given year, there are others which for diary reasons he is unable to attend but which the Deputy Master or one of the Wardens may attend on his/her behalf. A particular problem this year has been the travel disruption occasioned by recent rail strikes. I am very grateful to the Thames Warden and other colleagues for representing the Company in this way. It ensures that we are seen as playing the fullest possible part in the life of the City and cements relationships for the future. To give members the bigger picture the Thames Warden has most kindly prepared blogs covering the above events which will be included in this series.

I met Michael (who is an honorary Freeman of our Company) to learn a little about his priorities for his coming year as Lord Mayor, to describe our current activities and to promise that we will offer him our full support during his Mayoralty. Whilst it is early days, Michael mentioned a couple of potential priorities: (i) recruitment of younger people to the livery movement; and (ii) what he referred to as ‘Knowledge Mile’ – the various liveries developing and showcasing new ideas in their respective fields, capitalising on the City’s international connections: this might include a series of webinars and indeed demonstration projects of some form. I indicated that these priorities tied in very closely with our own, highlighting our associate and webinar programmes and our work on water sector governance along with the City Water Debate; we had a particularly interesting discussion on the role of market friendly incentives as means of achieving environmental goals. We agreed four

Our Michaelmas Lunch took place in the bright expansive surroundings of Trinity House, one of our favourite venues. (This was a change in venue as, pleasingly, our original choice would have been too small for the numbers attending). Our Company guests included Sir David Wootton, Master Lightermen and Watermen and former Lord Mayor together with his Clerk, Julie Lithgow,  Robin Batt, Master Mariner (who had entertained Consort, Clerk and me on HQS Wellington the previous weekend) together with his Clerk, Scott Hanlon, and our guest speaker Robert Hannigan CMG. Robert was formerly Director of GCHQ and security adviser to the Prime Minister; he is currently Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, which is of course our founder partner in the Water Conservation Trust’s bursary scheme. Robert stresses he is not a spy but confesses that he may know some members of that profession. Whilst not giving away any secrets, Robert gave a very illuminating, not to say alarming, summary of the cyber threat