Installation Court and 2015 Annual Banquet at Vintners' Hall

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The Master, the Upper Warden and the Junior Warden

Orpington Sea Cadets stand guard

The Musicians

Boozy knick-knacks

A Vintners' chair

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The new Master's first message

The Installation Court and Lunch on the 17th September 2013 were a lively start to my year as Master and a great end to Mervyn’s splendid year. The newly installed wardens are: Upper Warden Geoffrey Purves, Renter Warden Peter Murray, and Junior Warden Richard Brindley. At the Lunch, President of the RIBA, Stephen Hodder set out his strategic priorities, and his hope for closer collaboration with WCCA. All very jolly and with plenty of spirited conversation.

Two days later, the Renter Warden, Peter Murray, and I participated in the annual livery walk. This is a speedy hike round the 40 livery halls and our main opportunity to contribute to the Lord Mayor’s Charity and to our own Charity Fund. After a fine morning’s walk, the afternoon turned to torrential rain. To see a very soggy Peter and me, have a look at Peter’s video on the blog.

On the last weekend of September there was a Company visit to Yorkshire, described by past Master Mervyn on our blog as ‘an astonishing cornucopia of architectural and artistic delights’. These included a guided tour of significant buildings in Leeds, led by John Thorp, the retired civic architect, and visits to the Hepworth Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Two members of the party even found themselves in a lock-in in the oldest pub in Leeds! Our blog has the full story, with photographs by Chris Bicknell.

Over 50 people attended my reception at the Bishopsgate Institute on 15th October. Stefan Dickers, the Library and Archives Manager gave an enthusiastic and colourful history of the Institute, enhanced by architectural details from our own Peter Luscombe.

There was also a good audience for our lecture at the RIBA the following week, “The Architecture of Nowhere”, by James Kruhly, which sparked lively debate.

These WCCA events were interspersed with company dinners with the Plumbers, City Planners, Plaisterers and Chartered Secretaries, and two school prize givings. I also attended an interfaith service at St. Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the London Taxidrivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children, including music by the London Charity Orchestra and the New London Children's Choir.

It has been a very busy and stimulating start to my year as Master. I look forward to seeing you all at the Carol Service.

Jaki

The Master's report of 1 June 2013

As April dawned, I reflected on the fact that I was beyond the half-way tenure of the Master’s post.  However there was still a lot to come, and some weeks would be crammed with must-do’s.  Concurrently I pondered that work seemed to be easing off, only to have a shedload of new projects confirmed a few days later.  The only constant was the eternal background of unseasonally foul weather.  On WED 3 April it was déjà vu for the Carpenters' Lecture, given at Carpenters’ Hall. This was given by Dan Kelley of the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia (We visited them in 2010).  The lecture was not a technical exposition, but a pageant of American history related to Federal Courthouses; an unusual perspective but a reminder that in 1968-70 I was resident in the Midwest during a key period – Civil Rights, Vietnam and draft dodging.  Nothing until TUE 9, the pre-Accounts Court WCCA Committees, which revealed the difficulties of budgeting: doing more with less is ever-pressing.  On the positive side Richard Brindley’s WCCA-RIBA promotion of London as a World Architecture Hub through the Lord Mayor’ Office was evolving well, and Tom Ball had made a creative link with the Royal Academy’s ‘Attract’ project for young people.

On THU 11 Hawksmoor’s sublime Christ Church Spitalfields appropriately hosted a Service of Thanksgiving to commemorate the local Huguenot community, part of the tragic diaspora that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV.  The service included readings and a fine address by Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, himself of Huguenot descent from a community in Dublin.  We stuttered the Lord’s Prayer in fractured French.

MON 22: Jury on student entries, lunch and pm at 77 Portland Place.  This is now a collaborative effort with the London Region of RIBA, and we had seven shortlisted entries from which to choose: the winner will investigate the cultural obsession of the Japanese with reproducing historic buildings and monuments in cultural theme parks.  

TUE 23 saw the Court and Lunch aboard HQS Wellington, the unique floating Livery Hall of The Mariners’ Company.  Built in 1934 for patrolling in the Pacific ocean, she had undertaken arduous and dangerous convoy duty during the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War.  For once the weather was kind as Ann and I sipped our pre-lunch drinks gazing towards the Shard. At the Court, Michael Bayley had been released from the shackles of his indenture, and I installed him as one of our brightest young Freemen – would that we had many more but the student cell at MAKE, fostered by Jaki, is one of our most hopeful portents for the future. At Lunch I referred to ‘The Cruel Sea’ and ‘The Navy Lark’, quite appropriate as we are now consolidating relations with our new ‘regiment’, the Orpington Sea Cadets. The Guest Masters were Master Mason David Blake, Master Tin Plate Worker Andrew Balcombe and Master Environmental Cleaner Peter Robb (my first event two days after installation had been his Company’s Charity Walk around the Halls, which had included the Wellington).  Altogether a convivial and memorable event. 

TUE 23: Engineers’ Installation Court Dinner, Skinners, 7 for 7:30 pm.  It’s always difficult to know how to fill in between lunchtime and evening events.  This time I left my DJ at Painter-Stainers’ Hall, then took a bus to Tottenham and back, noting retro-clothing and charity shops for future exploration.  The Engineers’ Dinner was crowded, up to the usual standard, but without a memorable occurrence. 

THU 2 May: Ian, Jaki and I were among the Liverymen who met David Parrott at St Lawrence Jewry, to hear of his future projects and finance.  As with most City churches, there is no large congregation, so approaches to the Livery (and the Friends) are vital to secure the future, although the City of London Corporation has agreed to take responsibility for the fabric of the church. Unsurprisingly, David had an ambitious shopping list, with projects to suit all budgets from alms bags to restoration of the piano (essential for the well-established lunch-time concerts.  Surprisingly, the long history of the church has never yet been comprehensively researched and published.  Next week on WED 8 St Bartholomew’s View Day had a service in the noble austerity of St Bartholomew the Great, followed by a reception in the Great Hall of the Hospital and tour of the state-of-the-art cancer facilities.  As a personal dimension to this, my godmother was a patient there in 1972, under Hamilton Fairlie (who was killed by a terrorist bomb).  Sadly her acute leukaemia was inoperable.  I was under high pressure that day, with three site meetings, and fell flat on my face while hurrying through Smithfield.  I was lucky to incur only minor cuts and bruises, but the incident shook me up as a wake-up call.   

On MON 13 the STEWART DIAMOND WEDDING LUNCHEON at Ironmongers’ Hall was a cause for happy festivity, with two of the most generous benefactors of the Company.  Two of their daughters, Catherine and Judith attended.  The Company presented Alastair and Patricia with a turned ash wood charger, purchased from Wizardry in Wood at Carpenters’ Hall last Autumn.  That night there was no peace for the wicked as Ann and I were guests of my cousin, Sir Gary Hickinbottom at the ARBITRATORS’ CHARTER BANQUET, held at Mansion House. This was spectacular, particularly when the trumpeters of the Militaire Orchestra sounded off with the Huntsmen’s Gallop across the Gallery of the Egyptian Hall.  This was a particularly busy week, with the FESTIVAL OF THE SONS OF THE CLERGY on TUE 14 involving processing to the rotunda, and a choral spectacular with three cathedral choirs, and an address by the Bishop of Norwich. On WED 15 the Constructors Lecture at the City University was a well-structured exposition of the case for HS2 delivered by Professor Andrew McNaughton. Return to MANSION HOUSE on THU 16 for David Cole-Adams’ TYLERS & BRICKLAYERS’ BANQUET where Ann and I were official guests.  Another great occasion, with the Pikemen providing a guard of honour.  Brickbats, Flashers and Bonding were in evidence in David’s witty booklet on the historic craft and trade of the Company.  The musical interlude on the Organ to be presented to the Queen utilised the avian attachment for ‘A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’, quality nostalgia from the time of my birth. Then a respite until WCCA Past-Master Peter Luscombe’s Past Masters’ Association’s 20th Anniversary Luncheon at Vintners’ Hall on TUE 21.  It was Peter who decided that I was a fit enough person to join the Company! The it was time to pack for the Master’s Study Tour to Finland 23-30 May
… so that’s all for now folks.

Master Mervyn Miller - 1 June 2013 - Derby Day

The WCCA's annual Banquet for 2013 at Carpenters' Hall

A short movie of incredible carving!

 a swagwork detail

the 'Augustus Panel' carved by Shane Raven

The Master Carpenter 1604, 1605 and 1616; Richard Wyatt

The gates to Carpenters' Hall

 The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects

ANNUAL LIVERY BANQUET TO BE HELD AT CARPENTERS’ HALL

TUESDAY 26th MARCH 2013

GUESTS OF THE COMPANY

Sheriff Nigel Pullman

The Master of the Tylers and Bricklayers - Mr. David Cole Adams, and Mary Cole Adams

The Master the Chartered Surveyors - Mr. Roger Southam, and Miss Roberta Anderson

The Master of the Engineers’ Company - Mr David Scahill and Mrs. Gillian Scahill

Mr John Burton and Mrs Sally Burton - Surveyor to the Fabric of Canterbury Cathedral and Surveyor Emeritus of Westminster Abbey

PO (SCC) Andrew Lawson - 1st Lieutenant Orpington Sea Cadets

The Rev'd Michael Skinner - Orpington Sea Cadets Chairman of Unit Management Committee

                       
ORDER OF PROCEDURE

18.00 The designated Assistant / Stewards to assist with placement of table plans, place cards and menu cards in the Reception Gallery.
Master, Consort, Wardens, Partners to prepare for robing and photographs.

18.15 Orpington Sea Cadets to be introduced to the Master and Wardens

18.20 Master, Wardens, Clerk and Stewards (David Penning, Chris Bicknell, Rosemary Curry) will be robed by the Beadle to the Company (David Wylie).  Photographs of the Master, the Wardens and Ladies to be taken at this stage Court Room including Orpington Sea Cadets

18.30     Sea Cadets to be formed up at base of stair.

18.35 The Musicians commence playing in the Upper Reception area

The Master, Wardens and their Ladies will form the reception line at the top of the stairs and will remain in place until 19.15.

Members of the Company and Guests to arrive at the Hall. Copies of the table plan will be available from a table in the Hall Reception – a Steward    will be in attendance.

Members and Guests will be directed to the Reception area for pre-dinner drinks. Guests of the Company (listed above will be directed to the rear of the Reception Room with their designated ‘hosts’.

The following members of the Court and Stewards are asked to ‘hover’ to meet the Company guests after they have been received and to take them with their ladies into the Court Room to entertain them prior to dinner.  The gowned Stewards will ensure that each Company guest is met by their ‘host’.

Sheriff Nigel Pulman - Past Master Alan Downing
The Master of the Tylers and Bricklayers and Lady - Assistant Howard Copping
The Master of the Chartered Surveyors - Assistant Tom Ball
The Master of the Engineers - Assistant Sandra Papworth
The Master of the Constructors - Deputy Master Edward King
Mr John Burton and Mrs Sally Burton - Past Master Roger France
PO (SCC) Andrew Lawson   and The Rev'd Michael Skinner - Stephen Wagstaffe    

17.10 Clerk to await the arrival of the Sheriff and bring him to the reception Line.

19.15 The Beadle announces in Drawing Room: ‘Master, Wardens, Sheriff, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dinner is served – would all Members of the Company and guests not in the procession please proceed to take your places in the Hall. The Company guests, other than those in the procession, are to be escorted to where the photographer will take photographs of the Master’s Guests and then should proceed to the Hall.

The Musicians will move into the Dining Room and continue playing

19.20 The Master is to be photographed with his fellow Masters. Then, Masters are to be escorted to their places by their ‘hosts’.

19.20 Photographs are taken of the Master, Wardens and the Principal Guests and their ladies and the Clerk in the Reception Room. The Company guests, other than those in the procession, are to be escorted to their places by their ‘hosts’.

19.25 The Beadle will form up the procession in the order below and then the Master, Principal Guests and Wardens process to the Great Hall as follows:

The Master     Sherriff Nigel Pullman
John Burton Mrs Ann Yorke
The Upper Warden Mrs Sally Burton    
The Renter Warden Mrs. Ann Purves
The Junior Warden The Clerk

When the Liverymen and the guests are in their places, The Beadle will announce: “Liverymen, Ladies and Gentlemen please receive the Master, Wardens, and their Ladies and your Principal Guests”

The Musician strike up” See the Conquering Hero Comes”  and the Master and Principal Guests enter the Livery Hall and proceed to the top table – the gentlemen taking their escorts to their places before standing by their own seats. The Junior and Renter Wardens and the Clerk will drop off the procession at their respective places

The Musicians leave

The Beadle announces Grace which will be called for by the MASTER. At this stage the Beadle will take the Master’s gown and re-fix the chain prior to collecting other gowns (which their occupants will remove) – the Upper Warden’s from the top table, the others from tail gunner positions.

Dinner is served (approximately 1 hour 40 minutes for the meal). The musician will NOT play background music during the meal.

21.10 Grace – Laudi Spirituali, will be announced by the Beadle – “Wardens, Sheriff, Masters, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Master invites you to stand and join in singing of Grace.”  With Piano Accompaniment.

21.15 The Loving Cup: The Beadle will announce “The Master and Wardens of this Worshipful Company drink to you in a Loving Cup and bid you all a hearty welcome”. During this ceremony there will be background musical accompaniment by musicians

Note for the Master: two loving cups will be brought to the Master’s position at the top table. Following the Beadle’s announcement he will rise, take the cup on his right, turn to the person on his right to start off the ceremony. Once the person on is right has turned away, the Master will take up the cup to the left and repeat the process in that direction. He will then guard the back of the person to his left until he/she passes the cup on. Then he will resume his seat.

Note for those who sit at the ends of sprigs: You should take your cue from the Clerk who will stand when the Master has started both cups on the top table. They should prime the persons on either side of them to rise. The ‘tail gunner’ will drink first, the neighbour to his left having raised the lid of the cup. The neighbour on the right will stand with his / her back to the drinker. The cup will then be passed up the left hand side of the table. The passing of the cup and the raising of the lid should be done with considerable élan and such bows and curtsies as are appropriate.

21.25 Port is served

21.30 The Beadle will gavel
The Master rises and, leaving his glass on the table, when all is quiet gives the toast: (NB)
“THE QUEEN”
All rise. The first verse of the National Anthem will be sung accompanied by the musician PIANO.
The toast is drunk - All sit

The Beadle will gavel
The Master rises and, leaving his glass on the table when all is quiet, gives the toast:
“THE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH, THE PRINCE OF WALES, THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY”
All rise. A half verse of the National Anthem will be played but not sung.
The toast is drunk - All sit.

21.35 Coffee and petits fours will then be served.

The Beadle Gavels for the Master. The Master announces that there will be a musical interlude. The Master thanks the musicians for their entertainment  and states that they are students at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and that they appear by kind permission of the Principal.
There will be a comfort break of 12 minutes at this stage during which time the musicians will play

TOASTS

After consultation with the Master, The Beadle will gavel and subsequently move the lectern among the Speakers as set out below:

The Musicians will leave

The Beadle will gavel and announce “Master, Wardens, Sheriff, Ladies and Gentlemen pray silence for the Upper Warden, Jaki Howes”

The Upper Warden rises – “Master, Fellow Wardens, Sheriff, Ladies and gentlemen” and after a speech (of 5 minutes max) proposes the toast to

THE LORD MAYOR, THE CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION AND THE SHERIFFS

21.55 The Beadle will gavel and call “Pray silence for the Master”

The Master rises ‘Wardens, Fellow Masters, Sheriff, Ladies and Gentlemen …………’ and at the end of a speech of (max 7 minutes) proposes the Toast to ‘THE GUESTS’. Note: during the course of this speech the Master will present a cheque to Sheriff Nigel Pullman as the Company’s contribution to the Lord Mayor’s Charity.

22 05 The Beadle will gavel and announce John Burton who will respond to the Toast to the Guests. He will conclude by proposing a toast to the Master (7 Minutes)

22.15 The Beadle will announce “THE MASTER “ who will wish everyone a safe journey home etc and invite them to join in a Stirrup cup in the outer reception area.

The Beadle: “PLEASE MAKE WAY FOR THE MASTER, WARDENS AND YOUR OTHER PRINCIPAL GUESTS”

The Master and official party leave the Hall in the opposite direction to the entry route and gather in the Reception Room

22.45 Members and their guests urged to depart the building

The guard of hour - The Orpington Sea Cadets

The banquet tables within Carpenters' Hall

tablecam catches architects in full flow...

the Loving Cup passes

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More from Broadgate Award plaque unveiling

We are indebted to Tom Ball for the composite picture of the plaque unveiling at 210 Bishopsgate/ the Broadgate Tower on Friday last.

Why, one has to ask, is the Deputy Master in such reverential pose in the bottom left photograph. Answers in a plain brown envelope please.

The Company at Haberdashers' Hall

A significant number of members of the Company find Haberdashers' Hall - a Michael Hopkins building which was the winner of the New City Architecture Award some years back - an agreeable place in which to hold the Annual Livery Banquet. This ensured that there was virtually a full house for this year's event on Wednesday 14 March.

The Master hosted our official guests - Sheriff Wendy Mead and Mr Robert Tipping, Sir David Brewer CMG and Lady Brewer and the Master of the Fletchers' Company (our own Senior Past Master Deputy John Owen-Ward MBE), the Prime Warden of the Basketmakers' Company (Deputy John Barker OBE) and the Master Furniture Maker Hugh Garforth-Bles and their respective ladies. The York Guild of Building was represented by Past Master and Clerk Steve Bielby.

pictured (from left) The Clerk, David Cole-Adams; Upper Warden Dr Mervyn Miller and Mrs Ann Yorke; Mr Robert Tipping; Lady Brewer; Sheriff Wendy Mead CC; The Master, Michael Wilkey; Sir David Brewer; Mrs Susan Wilkey; Renter Warden Mrs Jaki Howes; Honorary Chaplain Rev Canon David Parrott; Junior Warden Dr Geoffrey Purves and Mrs Ann Purves.

In her response to the Civic toast The Sheriff  passed on greetings from the Lord Mayor who was currently abroad on City and national busuiness and drew attention to the role played by the Company in helping to improve the environment of the City. She congratulated those who were about to be revealed as the wnners  of the New City Architecture Awards for 2011.

Sir David Brewer, in responding to the toast to the guests, put in a serious plug for support for the development of the new premises being developed for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at Milton Court. The Master is seeking to encourage members of theCompany to contribute to an appeal he has launched in support of the School.

The conclusion of the evening was the presentation by The Sheriff and Master of the New City Architecture Award Certificates for 2011 to the owners, architects and main contractors of New Court, St Swithin's Lane (the new Rothschild Bank Headquarters) and One New Change. Further details of these awards will be included in a the next post.

It's all part of the Master's Lot

On the day on which the London Evening Standard reported a further lapse in the behaviour of  the nation's Members of Parliament (some were caught cheating in the annual pancake race between the elected members, the House of Lords and the Parliamentary press corps), The Master, pictured above, took part yesterday in what is becoming an established City Tradition - The Guildyard Yard Pancake Race Meeting. This is organized by the Poulters' Company in conjunction with The Cook and the Butler caterers with races being held in different categories - Masters, Liverymen, Ladies and a fancy dress event. You could be forgiven for thinking that the Masters pictured were in the latter category.

I won't bore you with the rules - suffice it to say that special hats, gloves (health and safety considerations) and aprons have to be worn as do Masters Gowns and badges. A predetermined amount of tossing is required and, should you drop the pancake, you either beat it to the ground (as my old school cadet Sergeant Major used to say about dropped rifles) or you suffer penalty point deductions.

I would like to report that, while the Master looks as though he was behind at this stage, he came through to breast the tape in record time. Sadly not. Still, as we should know in this Olympic year, the Corinthian ideal is of paramount importance. Ther's always next year.

Court Rooms and culinary confusion

 

The Company's New Year Year Court was held at Bakers' Hall yesterday - the first time the Company had visited this particular venue. The building, the fourth or fifth owned by the Company on the site was completed in 1963 after its predecessor was seen off by the Luftwaffe in 1944. Its design - both external and internal - is typical of the times. The Hall itself features some stained glass panels from the studio of John Piper which portray a graphic image of the various fires which destroyed the previous halls. 

The Court Room (shown below left) followed the form of what was the accepted norm for the design of such chambers set down centuries ago. To the best knowledge of the Clerk there is only one other of this type in the City - that found in its original form in Tallow Chandlers' Hall.

This particular room was a trifle disconcerting  for both Master and Clerk with the latter sitting with his back resolutely to the Master during the entire proceedings. It might be appropriate to offer a small prize for the best bubble caption that can be applied to this photograph.

Among the more normal business of the Court, Yasmin Shariff was admitted to the Livery, and Kent Jackson - a senior Director of Skidmore Owings and Merrill's London Office and Christopher Dyson - principal in his own Spittalfields based practice - were admitted to the Freedom of the Company. 

A new Student member was also admitted to the Company. Naveen Anandakumar was indentured for the period of his studentship to Chartered Architect and Citizen of London Mrs Anne Markey. The admission is based on the City of London's traditional Binding of Apprentices.

Naveen is the most recent of 17 current Apprentices / Students; all will, hopefully go on to become Freemen and Liverymen when they have satisfied their respective Part 3 examiners on completion of their studies. A number of their predecessors have already taken this step.

The culinary confusion referred to above relates to the decision that the meal should take the form of a buffet first course followed by a dessert. This was done as something of an experiment to see if the cost benefit of such an arrangement and the consequent lower ticket price would encourage greater attendance. It did - numbers were 50% up on those for the previous couple of years at this function.The jury is out on whether a significant majority approved of the arrangements. Many seemed to have done, some did not. Watch this space.