A year in the life of a Master – Episode 1 The first 100 days

I am frequently asked if I am enjoying my year as Master, the answer is of course always “yes”. But this is a very short and somewhat inadequate answer because the role is very varied and often a surprise. So, like many individuals I hope to share with you a little of how I have been representing the Needlemakers Company as your Ambassador during my first 100 days. 

September / October 2016

For those who have already been through the experience will know what a special event the Installation dinner can be. For those who follow be warned it is a wonderful but emotional occasion. Following in the footsteps of so many people one has great respect for, is a challenge. Participating in an ancient ceremony amongst so many friends is emotional. To experience it in a hall as magnificent as the Fishmongers Hall is magic. This year the evening was a little different because the installation service was held at Southwark Cathedral. The service was particularly special because it was presided over by Bishop Christopher to whom we gave a badge in recognition of his 25 years of service to the Company. We also included for the first time members of the Livery during the service. I think this is one small way of ensuring Liverymen feel more involved in our events.  

My first engagement was the day after my instalment. I attended firstly the church service in St Lawrence Jewry (a place we will be visiting later in the year during our city walk,) and then the election of the Lord Mayor in the Guildhall. All the Masters process into the Guildhall followed by senior members of the Corporation of the City of London, the sheriffs and finally the Lord Mayor. The occasion was particularly special for the Needlemakers this year because Andrew Parmley the individual elected to be Lord Mayor during the proceedings, is so well known to us. Following the election we went as has become our custom to the Stationers Hall for lunch. For those of you who have not yet attended an election of either Sheriffs or a Lord Mayor I commend it to you as wonderful pageantry and incomprehensible medieval process. Lunch is very informal at the start of which the Master of the Stationers calls out the names of Livery Companies present. There are usually around 12 different Liveries each of which responds when their Company is named; The Needlemakers are not infrequently the nosiest.

There are only a few occasions when a partner is able to accompany the Master to events so it was a great pleasure to be able to invite Simon to join the Clerk and myself to attend the Musicians evensong in St Pauls and the reception afterwards in the crypt. I was by this time, with help from the Clerk, begining to find my way to the correct place in the procession line up, and to recognise those Masters with whom I shall spend a good deal of the year.

The City of London Boys School Awards Ceremony in the Guildhall came next, the first of a number of school awards ceremonies the Master attends during the year. I hadn’t been able to attend the King Edward School awards event the previous week so this was my first taste of a packed hall of proud parents watching their children collect prizes – and there were a lot! It was lovely to see the recipient of the Needlemakers Prize. The City of London School for Girls Awards Ceremony also in the Guildhall took place a week later and followed a similar format. I was grateful to Simon Fradd for attending on my behalf the Royal Masonic School for Girls Prize Giving at which Past Master Roger Staines granddaughter received a prize.  

Geoff Lewis arranged a great wine tasting evening in a wine bar in Leadenhall Market. Our primary purpose for arranging this event was to encourage new and slightly younger Liverymen to attend. It seemed to be well received so we will be doing more events like this in future, ensuring they are less formal and cheaper than our rather formal lunches and dinners.

It would be possible to fill one’s life attending all sorts of events in particular the annual lectures many Liveries hold. I haven’t been able to attend many due in part to the fact that I am not London based but they provide a great opportunity to meet Liverymen and Masters from other companies. The first was the Actuaries Lecture and supper.

The first dinner I attended with the Clerk as a guest Master was the Tin Plate Workers at Cutlers Hall. This event reminded me once more of the enormous privilege Masters have being able access and dine in such wonderful buildings. I am looking forward later in the year to the Masters walk which offers the opportunity to visit many of the Halls.  

I was enormously grateful to Geoff Lewis who organised a small group of Liverymen to attend on a Saturday at the end of October, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Livery Companies day. You can see pictures of the event on our website.

November 2016

November began with The Royal British Legion opening of the Garden of Remembrance at St Pauls North Churchyard. It was a most moving event; all the Livery Company Masters place a cross in the ground after the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs and VIP guests. It is a moving but colourful ceremony with Standard Bearers flags watched by tourists and office workers through the railings. It was fortunately dry and the bacon butties in the crypt of St Pauls helped keep the cold out. Breakfast was another opportunity to network with fellow Masters and catch up on Needlemakers business with the Clerk.

The Gardeners Court Dinner at Carpenters Hall was memorable not least for the arrangements colourful fruit, vegetables and flowers on the tables. I learn something new at each event I go to, which means I come away with ideas we too could possibly adopt. At this dinner I thought the small laminated notices beside each item of silver was a great idea. They were a talking point as well as being informative. Our Honorary Archivist is going to follow this idea when she has completed the complex task of accessing the history of each piece. I look forward to them being on our tables in due course.

Something I think every Liveryman should try to do is attend the Silent Ceremony in the Guildhall. You can find out information about it on the City of London Website. It takes place each year in November and is the occasion when the existing Lord Mayor hands over the responsibility to the newly elected Lord Mayor. With the exception of a few words spoken at the beginning of the ceremony by the incoming Lord Mayor to confirm who he is the entire ceremony approximately 20 minutes is conducted in total silence. It is elegant, simple, impressive and utterly extraordinary. It is another example of an ancient ceremony, which has taken place for decades with little if any alteration. One has a great sense of history watching in my case totally fascinated by what was taking place. I attended with the Clerk and the Senior Warden Colin Tiffin. We were seated near an American couple, guests of one of the Sheriffs, they were awestruck.

A surprisingly entertaining event was the Lord Mayors Annual Address at the Mansion House the following week. All the Masters and Clerks are invited and most attend, I think more for the champagne afterwards than the briefing. The Lord Mayor was predictably witty, but also passionate about his focus for the year and for the charities he will be supporting. Not surprisingly music will play a big part during his year, sadly however we will hear little if anything of his paying at St James Garlickhythe.

Immediately after the Lord Mayors Annual Address and a few sips of champagne, I attended the Needlemakers Masonic Lodge Ladies dinner at The Charterhouse. I was the guest of the President Simon Born. It was lovely a lovely evening in a wonderful setting and some excellent entertainment. Whilst there is no direct connection with the Needlemakers Livery it was nice to be able to say thank you to the Lodge for their continuing support of the Needlemakers Company.

The Basketmakers Master and Clerks dinner at Skinners Hall was another fascinating event because they hold a very well supported auction of wonderful prize winning baskets. All out of my price range sadly. It was during this dinner that I observed the role of Stewards more closely, I had noted them elsewhere, but thought the Basket Makers Stewards undertook the role particularly well. Of which more anon, as I would like to propose we maybe adopt a similar role in our livery Company too.

The following day was the Festival of St Cecelia in Westminster Abby, which provided another opportunity to network and process with colleagues. The setting of course is magnificent and it was lovely that so many Needlemakers were able to enjoy it too and then attend an informal lunch in a nearby hotel afterwards.

You should by now be beginning to get a good idea of my world : ancient ceremonies,  church services, School Awards Ceremonies , receptions , dinners and lunches during which I am on best behaviour and mindful of the fact that I represent you all. During all this time there was an important matter to be attended to - the replacement of our learned Clerk. I am extremely grateful to the small group chaired by Sir Michael Snyder, which helped establish the process we would adopt. A considerable amount of work took place during October and November in order to be able to interview candidates in December.

December 2016

Interviews for the new Clerk took place on Dec 1st and 2nd. It was brilliant that the panel were able to unanimously agree to the appointment of Fiona Sedgewick who takes up her position on March 1st. She will double run for one month with Philip who retires at the end of March.  

A real treat was attending as a guest of Graham Born at the Candlewick Ward Club Brunch. It took place in the old library of the Guildhall following a carol service. It was a fun event not least because it was also attended by Brian Hatfield, Simon Fradd and Jenny and John Morgan. 

The Cutlers Company held their 600th Anniversary Service in the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great. If any of you have a spare moment while in the City and haven’t visited this remarkable church it is well worth the time you spend there. The Grand Hall of the Old Bailey was a magnificent venue for the reception afterwards. It has the most magnificent painted ceiling and imposing pillars all enhanced by the lovely champagne.

I was privileged to be asked to meet the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House together with our Clerk. Whilst the meeting was inevitably short given the pressures on his time, it enabled us to follow through a number of issues we covered during previous meeting held prior to him taking up his new role. We discussed in particular areas of mutual interest and ways in which I might be able to support him during his year. It is a real bonus that someone we know so well is this year’s Lord Mayor, because it makes a number of events even more meaningful. I am looking forward especially to our Banquet in February when he will be attending along with both Sheriffs.

Our joint Annual Carol Service with the Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers, followed by supper at St Pauls Hotel was a real success. It was lovely to have Bishop Christopher with us not only during the service but also for supper. Once again we involved members of the livery during the service. The supper was excellent and the venue perfect for our needs, it was great to see how well Liverymen from both Companies mixed together.

The following day was our Committee day, always a long and tiring day for those involved throughout. The Committees held were; the Industry, Masters, Finance and Charity. All committees comprise members of the Court members and most also include general members of the Livery, so this is another way individuals can be involved in with shaping the Livery. Our Common Hall in April will be a chance for everyone to see how the Court functions. You can find a note of our last meeting on the website.

January 2017

The New Year started with a visit to the Mansion House for “the tasting”. This involves the Master, Clerk and Senior Warden together with, in my case, the Head of Catering. It is planned into the diary each year in order to choose the menu and wines for the annual Banquet.

On the same day I attended with Simon a lovely event. I was invited by the Master of the Broderers Company to a reception and viewing of the Opus Anglicanum exhibition at the V&A. We then had supper in the Rembrandt Hotel (the same hotel as the Needlemakers Livery ladies had tea during the summer of 2016 after a visit to the V&A). It was a lovely informal occasion and we met many interesting individuals who shared our interest in the use of needles.

Our first event of the year was held following a Court meeting at Stationers Hall. I was delighted so many Liverymen were able to attend in spite of potential travel difficulties, 128 sat down for lunch. Our Guest Speaker Barbara Gelb the Chief Executive of the Charity “Together for Short lives” of which I am a patron spoke well about the work of the charity and gratefully received our cheque to support their work.

The Clerk and I attended a wine tasting at Moore Stephens and Livery Accounting. It was a fascinating evening, with a mixture of individuals from a small number of Liveries and accountants competing to judge where the covered wines came from. The Master Framework Knitter came a close second to the Master Tax Worker!

I was delighted to accept an invitation from Valerie Hamilton to attend the Scriveners 400th Anniversary celebration dinner at Stationers Hall. It was an excellent evening and for me it was interesting to attend an evening event at Stationers Hall .It provided me the opportunity to view the rooms from a different perspective. They are magnificent, particularly in candle light. I collected a number of ideas we could maybe adopt, so watch out those of you who are members of the Function Committee!

I will add to this as the year progresses. I hope it has been interesting and informative. I would welcome your feedback.                

The Master - Dame Elizabeth Fradd DBE DL