22. Ceremony of the Keys; Engineers’ Banquet

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 inspiring conclusion to a wonderful evening.

The following evening the Master and Consort were guests at the Worshipful Company of Engineers white tie Banquet at Mansion House. It was a really splendid event with a particular focus on promoting the role of women in the engineering profession. ‘Our own’ Michael Mainelli represented the Lord Mayor and in his speech made specific reference to Hugh Myddelton/the New River as an example of great engineering. We look forward to welcoming Master Engineer Audrey Canning and her Consort John to our Banquet on 10 November.

A wonderful end to a busy week!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

56. City Water Debate - sector leaders at the top of their game

Image
On 21 March the Company staged our flagship annual City Water Debate, at Bakers’ Hall. It was a sell out and we were all privileged to hear five leaders of our sector, all at the top of their game, share their perspectives on the governance issues facing the sector. It was like being physically in the room in one of Plato’s dialogues listening in first hand to leaders discussing the great issues of the day. We hold the City Water Debate annually on the eve of World Water Day and it was the fifteenth in a series dating back to my previous term as Master. The packed event attended by Sheriff Andrew Marsden, Alderman Alison Gowman, Lord Mayor elect our own Michael Mainelli (wearing our Company tear drop),  Masters of associated companies, a very strong contingent of our own members and high profile guests from outside the livery. The event was a fine illustration of the ability of Livery Companies to convene and participate in debate on the major issues of their sectors and was huge...
Read more

10. Sheep drive across London Bridge and WCT sponsored walk

Image
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 ...
Read more

78. Cranfield University Prize Winners’ Ceremony, 27 June 2023

Image
On behalf of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators and the Water Conservation Trust the Thames Warden Martin Bigg attended the annual Graduation ceremony at Cranfield University.  Individuals, businesses and City Livery Companies sponsor prizes at the University.  Along with the Armourers and Brasiers, and Fan Makers, we recognised the achievements of students on the various Master’s programmes run by the University.  The Winner of the Water Conservators’ Dissertation prize at Cranfield University this year was Sheriffa Griffiths* (pictured above, with Senior Lecturer in Water Governance, Heather Smith). After the Ceremony, the University hosted the winners and guests to lunch.   It was very encouraging to hear the ideas and enthusiasm of the students and their desire to make a valuable contribution to a sustainable future.   I was interested to learn about research into “forever chemicals” including PFOS.   I also heard about the challenges facing...
Read more