The Mercers’ Company takes part in Lord Mayor’s Show Day

Each year, on the day after his installation, the new Lord Mayor of London travels from Guildhall in the City to the Law Courts in the Strand to make his oath of allegiance to the Queen. Over the years this lively procession, the Lord Mayor’s Show, has built up around this ceremony. It is one of London’s oldest traditions and, with the Lord Mayor’s gilded coach as its centrepiece, also one of its most colourful - especially on a grey November day. 

 This year the Mercers’ Company took to the streets on Saturday 12^th November, as part of 684th Lord Mayor of London, Alderman David Wootton’s Show to mark the opening, in September, of Hammersmith Academy.

Jointly sponsored by the Mercers’ Company and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, Hammersmith Academy is a brand new, non-denominational, all-ability, co-educational secondary school for 11-18 year olds, with specialisms in Creative & Digital Media and IT. The Mercers’ Company has a long history of supporting education both in the independent and maintained sectors and the Academy brings to 17 the number of schools and colleges that the Company is involved with. The Hammersmith float consisted of an inflatable replica of the Academy which was walked around the route of the procession by students and teachers from the school and members of the Mercers’ Company and Information Technologists’ Company .

After a hearty breakfast at Mercers’ Hall, the participants moved off to London Wall to rendezvous with the giant inflatable. The float was vibrant and noisy with the students in their school uniforms making good use of their whistles and rattles accompanied by the adults wearing livery and academic gowns.   Outside the Mansion House, TV presenter Clare Balding interviewed Chairman of Governors, Tom Ilube, and Academy Student Frank Moylett, who was full of enthusiasm for his new school.

Also in the procession was the Master of the Mercers’ Company who, together with the Masters of the Grocers’ Company, the Drapers’ Company  and the Prime Warden of the Goldsmith’s Company, rode in a carriage ahead of the Lord Mayor.  Both the Master and the Hammersmith Academy float got rousing cheers as they passed Mercers’ Hall where Members were watching the parade.

Earlier in the day the Mercers’ Company had also taken part in the Lord Mayor’s arrival in the City by boat. Harking back to the days when the Lord Mayor and the Livery Companies all had their own ornate barges and the Lord Mayor’s Show was held on the river (hence the use of the word “float” in processions), this was the first time in over 150 years that the Lord Mayor had travelled by water on Lord Mayor’s Show Day.

Seven members of the Company , rowing the Thames cutter ‘Alice Whittington’, joined the fleet of traditional boats, manned by Livery Companies and other organisations, which accompanied the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs on their journey down the Thames from Pimlico through a specially opened Tower Bridge before docking at HMS President at St Katherine’s Dock.

Lord Mayor’s Show Day 2011 was a great success, with the Mercers' Company able to show off its newest School, Hammersmith Academy, in one of London’s most historic events.