The 79th Annual United Guilds Service
30 March 2023
On Friday 24 March the Master and members of the Livery attended the 79th Service of the United Guilds of the City of London at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Established in 1943 to help lift the spirits of the City following the Blitz during the Second World War, the Service is one of the few times every year when all 110 Livery Companies, as well as other Guilds of the City of London can gather together as a whole. With Masters, Wardens, Clerks and Beadles wearing their variously coloured gowns and badges of office in the magnificent surroundings of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Service truly is a unique and wonderful event.
In the Bidding the Very Revered Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St Paul’s, summarised the spirit of the Service, saying: “Dear friends, we are gathered together in this holy place to give thanks to God for the fellowship and service of the Livery Companies: for the customs which carry the memory of times past into the future with confidence and hope; for the skills and talents which they represent and promote in each generation; and for the generosity of their charitable work which provides opportunities for others to share the many blessings that we enjoy.”
Following the service, the Master was pleased to be able to continue the spirit of fellowship with other Livery Companies by welcoming members of the Coopers’ and Distillers’ Companies to Brewers’ Hall for lunch with Brewers’ Company Liverymen.
