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...

On Tuesday 30 Master joined Past Masters Peter Matthews and Rob Casey in a meeting with Sheriff Alison Gowman and Joe Kingston of the City of London on the topic of wet wipes and other similar items blocking up the sewerage system. The meeting was on the sterling initiative of Peter Matthew who summarised the Company’s recent consultation submissions on the need for an integrated action plan by all to address current sewage discharge issues. Could the City of London lead by example? In a very positive meeting it was agreed that the City of London should review its current practice in its own buildings and Peter would prepare an a draft an ‘ask’ covering specific actions/communication which might be undertaken. A subsequent meeting would be organised to review next steps by the City which could then be cascaded as appropriate through the wider livery community. This is another very practical example of how our Company is engaging and seeking to make a practical difference on the big...

There is a growing debate among politicians and in the press around the regulatory mechanisms and governance structures for the  water sector. Are the approaches which were appropriate in the conditions of 1989 still appropriate for the challenges and priorities of 2022? Our Company has been participating in this debate through our responses to a series of recent public consultations.  On 17 August Past Masters Peter Matthews and Rob Casey along with the Thames Warden Martin Bigg and I met David Hallam, the head of water at DEFRA. We highlighted the depth and breadth of experience within our Company and the fact that we are not a trade association but rather a group of experienced individuals acting pro bono with a common concern for the long term future of water in the UK. This was well received and we have been invited to a further meeting with DEFRA on 28 September to explore whether we can assist in shaping future consultations taking account of developing government pri...

Hot on the heels of last month’s victory in the Admiral of the Port Challenge, the Water Conservators’ cutter, most ably coxed by Bargemaster Johnny Dwan has been victorious again, winning the womens’ and mixed class in the Port of London Challenge on 9 August. This was a marathon event raced in very hot weather over 4.4 miles from HQS Wellington to Chelsea Harbour. Fortunately in this case they did not have to carry passengers. Hearty congratulations to Johnny and crew of six below! We look forward to welcoming and thanking them properly at our Annual Banquet in November.