CityandLivery

The Livery Companies are known for their formal dining in grand style at halls throughout the City of London. To the uninitiated, who may be attending a Livery Company dinner or banquet for the first time, these events can appear a daunting prospect, yet it need not be so - in fact it should be an entirely enjoyable experience.  A Livery Company dinner or banquet will, at its very best, be both fun and formal but never stuffy or unwelcoming. The essence of a successful event is that everyone should feel comfortable and enjoy the experience.  The following guidelines (which may vary in minute detail from one Company, banquet or dinner to the next) will help you enjoy the experience and remember it for all the right reasons. The invitation When invited to attend any event it is simple courtesy to respond in a timely manner indicating whether or not you will be able to attend. Livery Company dinners and banquets take an immense amount of planning and organisa...

Heraldry is an omnipresent aspect of the City of London and its many Livery Companies, not least because of the presence in the City of Her Majesty's College of Arms on Queen Victoria Street but also because the oldest civic arms in the United Kingdom are those of the City and the oldest corporate arms are those of the Drapers' Company. Every Lord Mayor and Sheriff of the City of London has his or her coat of arms as do each of the City's Livery Companies. If you are considering petitioning for your own coat of arms in the United Kingdom then @CityandLivery is hosting a grant of arms workshop in London on 19 September that may interest you. July's  #HeraldryQuiz hosted by @CityandLivery on Twitter posed a series of questions that explore some of the many myths and misconceptions that persist as 'common knowledge' about heraldry. The results of the quiz and the correct answer to each of the questions are as follows: Question 1:  Do you have to be Royal...

Since I started Tweeting back in December 2012 under the sobriquet @CityandLivery my followers have been assured a personalised welcome and greeting in the style employed at Livery Company banquets when the Master, Prime Warden or Upper Bailiff bids his or her fellow Liverymen and their guests 'a hearty welcome' . This blog takes that hearty welcome a step further and invites you all to discover more about The City of London and its diverse Livery Companies, particularly their history, law, lore and customs. The City of London and its Livery Companies are immensely well documented subjects that remain fundamental to the history of the English nation, the development of parliamentary democracy and local government, the practice of common law and the economic prosperity of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and beyond. The City of London has a unique status in the United Kingdom and governs itself like no other city in the world. The City blends ancient customs with moder...