The Guild of Freemen of the City of London

The Master and his Lady welcome Court Assistant Peter Allcard and Mrs Allcard.
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The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor enters the Old Library, accompanied by the Master, Mr Leslie Lewis, and the Senior Warden, Mrs Barbara Newman
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The Renter Warden, Mr Gordon Gentry, Mrs John Stuttard, the Lady Mayoress, Mrs Gordon Gentry
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Rear Admiral Iain Henderson, CB CBE and Family
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Annual Banquet at the Guildhall

12 December 2005

On Monday 12th December the Guild held its annual banquet in Guildhall. With close to 700 people present, this was a glittering occasion, and it gave the Master very great pleasure to welcome the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs and their ladies, accompanied by the Common Cryer and Serjeant at Arms, as the principal guests for the evening.

The evening started with a champagne reception in the Old Library. A guard of honour was provided by the Guild's affiliated Territorial Army unit, 253 Provost Company Royal Military Police. At 7.00pm the Lord Mayor and his party arrived at Guildhall and processed to the Old Library, where they were welcomed by a fanfare played by trumpeters from the Royal Yeomanry and warm applause from Guild members.

Dinner in the Great Hall at Guildhall was a sumptuous occasion, set off by red and gold floral arrangements, the magnificent colours and designs of the ladies dresses and the black-and-white of the men in evening dress. Throughout the banquet the Salon Orchestra of the Band of the Honourable Artillery Company played lively and entertaining background music, to the delight of everyone present.

After dinner it was a pleasure to listen to the guest speakers, who included Mr Tim Godwin, OBE, the Assistant Commissioner responsible for Borough policing in the Metropolitan Police, and Councillor Richard Barnes, London Assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon, as well as the Master and the Lord Mayor himself.

During the speeches the Senior Warden, Mrs Barbara Newman, CBE CC, welcomed the Guild's many guests. It was a particular honour to welcome the Chief Commoner and his lady, the Remembrancer, the Dean of St Paul's, the Master of the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers and the Deputy Master of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. It was also a great pleasure to welcome, among many others, the Presidents of the United Wards' Club and the City Livery Club, the Chairmen of the Royal Society of St George (City Branch) and the Society of Young Freemen, the President or Masters of the Guild's sister organizations in Chester, Coventry and York, and the Senior Grecian and Second Monitor of Christ's Hospital.

In his thanks for the arrangements made for the evening, the Master congratulated the Caterers, Crown Society Special Event Caterers, on an excellent meal, and, noting his imminent retirement, he thanked the Director of Music of the Band of the Honourable Artillery Company for the magnificent support his band has given the Guild during the 6 years he has been Director.