Lord Mayor's Show
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The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1215. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London the historic centre of London which is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile. A new Lord Mayor is appointed every year and the public parade that is made of his inauguration reflects the fact that this was once one of the most prominent offices in England. The Lord Mayor of the City of London has an administrative role in the Square Mile, but the Mayor of London is a different individual entirely, namely the elected head of the Greater London Authority.
The event is a street parade which in its modern form is a fairly light-hearted combination of traditional British pageantry and elements of carnival. On the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor and several others participate in a procession from the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of Westminster, where the Lord Mayor swears his allegiance to the Crown.
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[edit] Date of the Lord Mayor's Show
Originally, the Show occurred annually on 29 October.[1] In 1751, Great Britain replaced the Julian Calendar with the Gregorian Calendar; the Lord Mayor's Show was then moved to 9 November. In 1959, another change was made: now, the Lord Mayor's Show is held on the second Saturday in November. The Lord Mayor's Show has regularly been held on the scheduled day; it has not been moved since 1852, when the Show made way for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington's funeral. The Show was not interrupted by the Second World War. Last year the date of the Show was Saturday 10 November 2007.
[edit] The Lord Mayor's transport and the origin of parade "floats"
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Formerly, the route was varied each year so that the procession could pass through the Lord Mayor's home ward; since 1952, however, the route has been fixed. The Lord Mayor rode on horseback or went on a barge via the River Thames, based on the route chosen. The river transport for the Lord Mayor's Show gave rise to the word float, used in the context of parades.
After Lord Mayor Sir Gilbert Heathcote was unseated by a drunken flower girl in 1710, state coaches replaced horses. The last time barges were used was in 1856.
Now the Lord Mayor travels in a State Coach with side panels painted by Cipriani, who also did the panels of the Gold State Coach used by Queen Elizabeth II. The Lord Mayor's Coach was built in 1757 at a cost of £1,065.0s.3d. (over £120,000 in modern terms). It is pulled by six horses - only two fewer than that of the Queen.
[edit] Participants in the Lord Mayor's Show
[edit] Great Twelve Livery Companies
The Great Twelve Livery Companies—the Mercers, Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Goldsmiths, Merchant Taylors, Skinners, Haberdashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintners and Clothworkers—participate as of right; other Livery Companies participate by invitation, though the Lord Mayor's own company is always among these.
[edit] Privileged Regiments of the City of London, and others
Other participants include bands and members of privileged regiments of the City of London such as the Honourable Artillery Company and The Royal Fusiliers. "Privileged regiments" have the right to march through the Square Mile with bayonets fixed, colours flying, and drummers drumming.
The many other participants lending a unique flavour to the occasion include organizations that the Lord Mayor wishes to support or has belonged to such as charities, old schools and his employer before he became Lord Mayor.
Gog and Magog are two inflatable giant reproductions of a pair of statues in Guildhall. These popular icons reflect the pre-Roman legendary past of the City of London and they too are paraded by volunteers each year.
[edit] Schedule and Timing
The procession begins at Guildhall; the Lord Mayor joins the rear from his official residence, Mansion House, having watched a flypast.
Along the route, the Lord Mayor stops at St Paul's Cathedral in order to receive a blessing from the Dean on the Cathedral steps. On his arrival at the Royal Courts of Justice in Westminster, he takes the oath of allegiance; the return procession then recongregates on Aldwych, outside the London School of Economics stretching down to the River, before it begins from Temple Place. When returning, as when going to the Royal Courts of Justice, the Lord Mayor joins the back of the procession. Upon his return to Mansion House, members of the City of London Corporation welcome him.
The parade, which begins at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, concludes at about half past two in the afternoon. The procession is over three miles (roughly five kilometres) long, but the route itself is much shorter; the head of the procession reaches the end of the route before the Lord Mayor even leaves his home. In the evening, a fireworks display is held.
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hutton 1994, p. 187-188.
[edit] References
- Hutton, Ronald: The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700, Oxford University Press, 1994, ISBN 01982363
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