From the editor's hotel keyboard.
I was 7 years of age when I last stood in the Strand awaiting the arrival of the Lord Mayor's procession. Today, at 52, I witnessed this truly amazing event which is a celebration of 800 years of pageantry to welcome the new Lord Mayor of London, David Brewer into office. He should not be confused with that 'other' Mayor of (Metropolitan) London, "hiz honour" Ken Livingstone, who thankfully does not warrant a parade or due ceremony.
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The sun shone, the crowds cheered and the new Lord Mayor was both dignified and delighted to be part of this very British occasion.
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Said before on this blog and reiterated now, no other country on Earth can do ceremony and indeed pageantry the way the British can and this was tradition at it's finest.
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As every schoolchap (and chapess) will or should know, there has been a Lord Mayor of London ever since 1189, when Henry Fitzailwyn took office, probably the most well-known being Dick Whittington, who was Lord Mayor thrice over in the late 14th, (very) early 15th century, although much to the disappointment of this blog's researcher, there is no reliable documentary evidence to support the accompanying moggie.
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It wasn't until 1215, when King John granted a Charter allowing the City's citizens to elect their own mayor, that the Lord Mayor's Show actually came into being. The Charter stipulated that the new Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear fealty to the Crown, so each year the newly elected Mayor had to travel from the City to Westminster to pledge allegiance.
.
The Lord Mayor has been making that yearly journey for 783 years, surviving plague and fire and countless wars and insurrections. The modern Lord Mayor's procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster and the pageantry of Pepys and Canaletto is recognisable today.
.
Amazingly modern local government reforms and John Prescott's (deputy Prime Minister) meddling have not affected either the ceremonial splendour or the administerative (highly efficient) functioning of the Corporation of the City of London. However the regulatory tentacles of the European Union (EU) have and will continue to interfere with the City's centuries old industries of banking and insurance.
.
Standing opposite the steps of Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, I was duly impressed by the three and a half mile procession (in itself amazing since the route was only two miles!) involving over 5000 participants, 2000 service personnel, 66 floats, 21 carriages including the Lord Mayor's gold leaf coach (reportedly suffering from chronic woodworm).
Said before on this blog and reiterated now, no other country on Earth can do ceremony and indeed pageantry the way the British can and this was tradition at it's finest.
.
As every schoolchap (and chapess) will or should know, there has been a Lord Mayor of London ever since 1189, when Henry Fitzailwyn took office, probably the most well-known being Dick Whittington, who was Lord Mayor thrice over in the late 14th, (very) early 15th century, although much to the disappointment of this blog's researcher, there is no reliable documentary evidence to support the accompanying moggie.
.
It wasn't until 1215, when King John granted a Charter allowing the City's citizens to elect their own mayor, that the Lord Mayor's Show actually came into being. The Charter stipulated that the new Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear fealty to the Crown, so each year the newly elected Mayor had to travel from the City to Westminster to pledge allegiance.
.
The Lord Mayor has been making that yearly journey for 783 years, surviving plague and fire and countless wars and insurrections. The modern Lord Mayor's procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster and the pageantry of Pepys and Canaletto is recognisable today.
.
Amazingly modern local government reforms and John Prescott's (deputy Prime Minister) meddling have not affected either the ceremonial splendour or the administerative (highly efficient) functioning of the Corporation of the City of London. However the regulatory tentacles of the European Union (EU) have and will continue to interfere with the City's centuries old industries of banking and insurance.
.
Standing opposite the steps of Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, I was duly impressed by the three and a half mile procession (in itself amazing since the route was only two miles!) involving over 5000 participants, 2000 service personnel, 66 floats, 21 carriages including the Lord Mayor's gold leaf coach (reportedly suffering from chronic woodworm).
.
.
Truly a very British event indeed.
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