The Lord Mayor’s Show, 9 November 2024

The Gunmakers’ Team, of Master, Upper Warden, Renter Warden and Clerk mustered in the magnificent ‘manor house’ that is the Ironmongers’ Hall promptly at 9am on the morning of the Lord Mayor’s Show.  Fortified with bacon rolls and coffee we were alert and attentive during the briefing by the Glovers’ Company before ‘rushing to wait’ by Plaisterers’ Hall on London Wall in position #24 the Senior, or Ancient, Livery Companies’ walking float.  This is a collaboration of the older, lower numbered Companies, and elsewhere in the parade there was a corresponding Modern Companies’ walking float of the higher numbered Liveries.

Whilst milling around awaiting the off, acquaintances were made or renewed or refreshed fostered by the chilly but dry weather.  Inevitably and happily, we bumped into our fellow working company, the Goldsmiths.  As you can see in the first photograph, they ‘arrogantly’ sported a gold ingot!

We set off at 10.45am and moved round the bend into Gresham Street where we waited again until moving off to enjoy a raucous rapport with the large crowds lining the route.  It is estimated over 350,00 attended the show!  This year the public turnout was really impressive.  After saluting the Lord Mayor at Mansion House, we trudged along past St Paul’s Cathedral, then down Ludgate Hill before scaling the East face of Fleet Street.  The gradient and height forced us to take refreshments in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, the celebrated Fleet Street watering hole favoured by Doctor Johnson and generations of journalists, where the ex-Gunner landlord was delighted to meet us.  Despite the terrain, such was our pace, we arrived earlier than planned but this didn’t matter as our host, in the finest traditions of the British Army, ‘adapted and overcame’ the situation.  Whilst others in our ‘float’ endured a mean fare of sandwiches and crisps, we feasted on steak and kidney puddings, fish and chips and steaks whilst rehydrating in grand style.  We left to three hearty cheers from our fellow diners.  Now reacclimatised to the altitude and refreshed we raced to Blackfriars to watch the passing of the head of the parade and some of the floats before rejoining good old #24 to march back to Ironmongers arriving at 2.05pm.  The day was a triumph.  Dry weather, enthusiastic crowds, good fare and great company made this a truly memorable year.  And don’t worry, this schedule is written into our new Op Order, or is it a SOP, for LMS2025.

The second photograph shows our refreshed team in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese ready to rejoin the parade with even greater enthusiasm.