The City's Annual Cart Marking Ceremony
On the 13th of July 2016 I was privileged to attend the City's annual Cart Marking ceremony as a guest of one of the Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Carmen. Although I had previously researched and written about the Cart Marking ceremony this was my first visit to see the event performed live. I headed into the City early in the morning and saw many of the vehicles due to participate in the ceremony lined up on Gresham Street and London Wall. It soon became obvious the ceremony would be quite a long affair as there were over 50 vehicles by my rough count. One thing that immediately stood out about all the vehicles, no matter their age or purpose, was the high standard to which they were maintained and presented. Clearly Cart Marking is a matter of pride for the vehicle owners and operators. Cart Marking is an early form of vehicle registration and was a necessity in the days when members of the Carmen's Company had designated 'stations' in the City from whi...